The Goddess of Tricks and Thieves
by Starling Strider
Summary: Britta fled to Midgard nearly two thousand years ago after doing something she was too ashamed to face the aftermath of. She never expected anyone to find her and she certainly never expected her harmless trickster to be the one trying to take over all of Midgard. Britta has sworn to protect Midgard but can she protect it against her best friend? Maybe...maybe not.
1. Found

Britta's P.O.V

Alright so here's a little background information for ya. My name's Britta Nodottir and I grew up on Agard. I'm a Halfling, the secret love child of a Light Elf and one of Frigga's own handmaids. I was trained in magic alongside Loki Odinson and became known as the Goddess of Tricks and Thieves pretty early on in life. I became close friends with the princes of Asgard and would have sacrificed my life for them had they asked. I made a huge mistake when I was young which resulted in the Tesseract getting flung to Earth both for safekeeping and to keep it out of my now crazed hands. I made another huge mistake, yes I know I should have learned my lesson, about two thousand years ago and fled to Midgard. Been camped here ever since.

Okay now that you know a bit about me I can go ahead and tell you my insanity filled story. It all started when my past came back to bite me in the butt. Bringing with it the Tesseract, my two favorite princes, a team of super secret spies, and a whole lot of crazy.

* * *

The sound of someone's foot hitting the floor in what was considered silently on Midgard woke me up. I had amazing senses, elven senses which were sharper even than an Asgardians, and I was the Goddess of Tricks and Thieves so I knew sneaky. On Asgard that footfall would have been considered audible at the very least. Midgardians simply had no clue how unevolved they were, how dull their senses were.

I rolled onto my back on my bed and listened carefully. There were more footfalls and I realized the person was moving towards my room. I stared at my ceiling in confusion; burglars wouldn't go for the bedroom. They'd stay in my way too classy for an apartment living room and steal the many things in there that I could immediately replace. That fact coupled with the person's thoughts made me realize this wasn't a robbery. Yes I read the person's mind, sue me. If someone broke into your home you would too. They weren't thinking too much anyways, focusing almost completely on finding me and being quiet.

The doorknob slowly began turning and I rolled my eyes, even that noise sounded loud to me. As the door slowly opened, silent because I hated creaky hinges, I teleported out of my room. I reappeared lounging on my La-Z-Boy, my legs draping over one arm while the other dug somewhat uncomfortably into my back. I propped my head up with one hand, placed my other hand on my stomach, and looked extremely bored at the man sneaking into my room.

**_"You should blast him to pieces." _**Grid, one of the voices in my head, said furiously. She was a cruel thing, made from the darkest parts of my mind, and she was always suggesting that I do horrible things to people. She was the one that fought for control of my mind the most, trying to become the main person in my head.

**_"Or trip him. Tripping works too." _**Nanna suggested. She was the other voice in my head that I liked a whole lot better. She was made of the lightest parts of my mind and I adored her. She was kind of like a child living in my head and she only ever took over control when I needed a break from reality.

I rolled my eyes at both of them. _"Guys I'm not blasting him and I'm not tripping him. I'm going to mess with him." _I informed them angrily. The man stood in my doorway, staring at my empty room in confusion. I put on an extremely nonchalant expression before loudly clearing my throat. The man spun around instantly, pointing his gun directly at my chest. He was trying to hide his surprise but it wasn't working. "You know, if you're going to break into the house of the Goddess of Thieves you should really be more quiet." I told him lazily, not even a little worried about the weapon pointed at me.

The man's expression suddenly became emotionless but I was the Goddess of Tricks, I could see through the masks people put on. The mind reading helped me see behind the walls they put up in their heads too so no secret was safe from me. That was one reason I wasn't trusted because I could learn your darkest secrets simply by accident. This man was no exception; I could see he was still surprised and incredibly cautious of me.

"Tell me your name." The man told me. When I just kept staring at him lazily he cocked his gun. I watched him aim it straight between my eyes and I felt my two little thought buddies stir furiously in my head. Both of them wanted me to attack the guy now. Nanna was mad because she loved me but Grid was mad because she needed my body to live and it couldn't be damaged. "Now." The man ordered me.

"Point your gun at the ground." I ordered the man. Immediately, the man did as I told him. He looked up at me in confusion but I stared at him emotionlessly. "Put the gun on safety, remove the magazine, and pop the one in the chamber. Once that's done place the gun on the ground and kick it beneath the couch." I said calmly. The man did as I told him but he looked shocked now, like he couldn't believe what was happening. Once he had kicked the gun beneath the couch I looked apologetically at him. "I'm sorry about that. I hate controlling people's minds but the voices in my head were getting extremely ticked at you. They would have taken control over me eventually if you kept that gun on me and, trust me, you'd rather deal with me than them." I told him. The man took a deep breath, regaining his composure, and I heard him think that he'd dealt with weirder. "Please, sit down. That's a request too, I'm not in controlling your head anymore. I only do it in dire situations." I told him.

Surprisingly the man did as I asked, sitting down on the couch and facing me. He wasn't much to look at, just a face in the crowd, but there was something intriguing about him. He held out his hand. "Phil Coulson." He said, introducing himself. I stared at him in surprise and kept my hands near me. The man smiled slightly. "My apologizes about earlier. Orders are orders and I was told to treat you as a potential threat. I'm realizing now that that's not exactly the way to go with you." He said, keeping his hand outstretched.

Knowing I'd regret it, I took the man's hand and shook it. "Britta." I told him simply, not giving him a last name cause I didn't have one and I highly doubted he'd get the whole Nodottir thing. "I'm guessing you're looking for me." I said, pulling my hand back.

"Yes, we are." Coulson answered, nodding.

"We?" I asked, my alarms going off. I listened carefully for any sound of people outside my apartment but there was nothing. I could hear them outside though, waiting on the streets for something to happen. They were all thinking that Coulson could very easily get me out of there without me escaping but they were still nervous I'd come flying out of a window or something. I focused my eyes on Coulson again, glaring at him. "Why is there a whole team of people on the road ready to attack me?" I practically growled at him.

Coulson hid his surprise well. "Impressive. How did you know?" He asked. I just kept glaring at him, deciding if I was going to get attacked I wasn't going to give him a single answer. He sighed and smiled at me apologetically. "They're a precaution. We don't exactly know whose side you're on." He told me.

"Whose side I'm on?" I asked, sounding innocently confused even though I knew exactly what he was talking about.

Yesterday I'd kind of destroyed half of a Walmart I had broken into for a bit of fun. Since I was connected to the Tesseract I'd experienced some of what was happening to it at all times. When it started opening a portal to space my vision had been replaced with what it was seeing. I'd seen Loki, one of my dearest and most trusted friends, come through the portal before I was bungeed back into my own body. I'd found myself on the floor surrounded by debris, the Tesseract energy that came off of me having blown up the area in one big blast at the same time the portal opened. I'd teleported out of there immediately, not wanting to get questioned or found.

"I think you know what I'm talking about." Coulson told me, smiling a little. I glared again, not liking my own lies being found out. "Some of our agents were monitoring changes in energy around the world and they found you when you had your little episode. You were giving off the same energy as the Tesseract, a device you obviously must know about." He said. I let out a humorless chuckle, thinking he had absolutely no clue just how much I knew about the thrice accursed thing. "Lucky for us you yourself have a very unique energy signature that we were able to save into our computers before you left the area. We ran a global search for your energy and found you here." Coulson said.

"I wouldn't be calling yourself lucky." I told him seriously. The Tesseract's magic pulsed once inside me with each heartbeat, this time staying at the same dull intensity instead of growing like yesterday. I clenched my fists, hating myself for ever messing with the stupid thing. "Bad stuff happens to me all the time. Something horrid is gonna happen sooner or later with me around and you're going to regret ever finding out my name." I said, staring at him emotionlessly.

Coulson nodded and I heard him think that something bad had already happened. I felt bad for him though I had no clue what he meant by that. Had something happened after Loki showed up? Or was Loki showing up the bad part? I couldn't see how it could be, Loki was pretty much harmless. "Duly noted but I need you to come with me." He said, standing up.

Grid pushed to the front of my head before I could stop her. I immediately threw an appearance changing spell at her, letting Coulson know this wasn't me. "As what? A prisoner?" She spat at him, jumping to her feet. Coulson stared at her in surprise. "I'd love to see you try and get me." She told him.

Growling furiously, I shoved Grid back into her proper place. I placed a fist to my forehead, pressing down to stop the headache starting to form. I removed the spell too, returning to my usual appearance. "Sorry about that." I told Coulson apologetically. Grid growled in my head, spitting insults at me. Nanna told her to shut up and I growled again, unable to tolerate the headache their arguments always gave me. "Grid likes to fight people. I do too but not as much as her. None of us like the idea of being a prisoner either." I told him.

"Your appearance changed." Coulson told me. Grid rolled her nonexistent eyes and Nanna chuckled a little. I had to remind them that it wasn't normal for mortals to see someone change into someone else.

I nodded, rubbing my knuckles against my head. "Yeah, I thought it would be a good idea. She's not me and I didn't want you to think that I was snapping at you." I told him. I fell back into my La-Z-Boy, letting out a deep tired sigh. "I don't want to be a prisoner." I said, closing my eyes.

Coulson chuckled and I knew he was smiling. "I doubt we could actually keep you prisoner." He said.

"True." I said, laughing a little. I looked up at him and grinned. "I could just make you guys let me go if I needed to. Hel, I could make a crowd of people do the chicken dance without difficulty." I told him. A wicked grin spread across my face and Nanna laughed eagerly in my head. "I might do that now. Next time I'm out, I'll make everyone wearing the color blue in a store do the chicken dance." I said cheerfully, already picturing it in my head. Even Grid laughed at the idea, mostly because she thought it would somehow be cruel. I rolled my eyes at her but kept grinning.

Coulson laughed and offered me his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. "I'm sure that would be hilarious." He assured me and I nodded eagerly. He smiled and walked over to his discarded magazine. "I was told to bring you in as a consultant of sorts. You obviously must have knowledge of the Tesseract and we want to know what you know. It'll help immensely with the threat we're facing." He told me as he picked up the magazine. He pointed to beneath the couch. "Can I grab my gun?" He asked.

I shrugged. "Why not? You won't be able to shoot me." I told him. Coulson smiled and knelt down, reaching beneath the couch. I watched him carefully as he retrieved the gun and put the magazine back in, double checking to make sure it was still on safety as he did. "What type of threat is it?" I asked curiously. I had already decided to go with him, simply so I could get the Tesseract myself and keep anyone from messing with it further, but I wanted to know what I was going to have to deal with while I stole the stupid cube.

Coulson looked up at me, staring at my face carefully. "His name is Loki. He's trying to take over the world." He told me.

I couldn't help it, I let out a loud disbelieving laugh. "You've got to be kidding me!" I said through my laughter, clutching my sides. Coulson stared at me like I was insane which I was. Slowly my laughter died and I was able to breathe a little. I wiped a tear from my eye and grinned up at Coulson, chuckling slightly. "Loki? Seriously? He's the threat?" I asked in disbelief. Coulson nodded and I started laughing again, shaking my head. "I can't believe it. Harmless trickster Loki is trying to take over Midgard. Dear Odin that's rich." I said, grinning.

"Harmless? He's killed around eighty people already." Coulson said, staring at me in shock.

I stared at him for a moment, my grin slowly slipping off my face as confusion appeared on my face. I shook my head, not believing him. "No, Loki would never do that." I said defiantly, picturing the boy I'd grown up with. He'd been a jokester, my main source of entertainment in Asgard. One of my best friends. "I know Loki, he's harmless. He's a prankster nothing more." I insisted, though now that I thought about it I didn't really know Loki anymore. I'd been gone two thousand years; I don't know how much he's changed. "Hel, I'm more likely to take over the world than him." I said, trying to convince myself now.

"I have a feeling he's changed since you saw him last." Coulson said, walking towards the door. He stopped beside it, hand on the doorknob. I was still rooted to the ground, trying to imagine what could have possibly messed up Loki so much that he'd tried to take over this world. "Are you coming?" Coulson asked me.

I looked over at him, debating now. The Tesseract shouldn't be in human hands, it had messed up an Asgard for Odin's sake and it had already murdered a mortal. Some man with a severely disfigured red head who was fighting this guy in a skin-tight suit. I'd been in so much pain then, it was the first time the Tesseract had ever opened a portal to space with me connected to it. That thing was so damn dangerous, no mortal should ever have it which meant the Asgardian that put all of them in danger had to take it from them. Me. Still, hearing that the threat was Loki made me think twice. If Loki had taken the Tesseract I doubted I could fight him for it. Hurting Loki…dear Odin just the thought of it made me sick. Even as kids I'd been so careful not to hurt him when we'd play fight. But I loved this world; Midgard was such a wonderful place despite all the evil on it. I couldn't let Loki take over it if that's really what was happening.

"Give me ten minutes. I'm gonna change and pack." I answered finally. Coulson nodded and leaned against the wall, showing that he'd wait. I nodded my thanks before rushing into my room and practically slamming the door shut.

I used magic to pack, not wanting to waste any of the ten minutes I had to prepare. Once basically all of my things were packed into a very heavily enchanted suitcase I walked over to my mirror and stood in front of it. It had been a long time since I'd stared at my reflection and I thought I might as well do it now, just so I knew what the people I was going to meet would be seeing. Like always, I was shocked by my appearance and I wondered why people didn't stare at me with their jaws dropped every time I walked outside.

Asgardians don't look that different from mortals. They do have a certain feel about them though that can tip you off they're more than human but that's it. Unfortunately though I'm not a full blooded Asgardian. I'm half Light Elf which means I don't look entirely human and even less so with the Tesseract magic in me.

Light Elves are naturally gorgeous, fairer than the sun itself. Halflings are just as fair. I was slender despite my immense strength with graceful curves. I was a bit short, slightly smaller than the average Asgardian but a bit taller than the average Midgardian. My facial features were soft, elegant. They made you think of royalty, of a higher living. My ears poked out slightly and you could very clearly see the slight point at the end of them. My hair, which could reach all the way down to my hips if I didn't cut it every week, was a startling snow white. My eyes though, those were the things I was surprised the mortals never saw. They had once been a gorgeous pale grey but now they were bright blue, Tesseract blue. I missed the color my eyes used to be, I missed life before my huge mistakes.

Sighing, I snapped my fingers. Now instead of a silk nightgown I was wearing comfortable underwear, tight fitting designer jeans, a near skin-tight Halloween shirt that read Bad to the Bone, and some black high tops. Another snap of my fingers and my hair was done up in a tight braid that I instantly threw over my shoulder. I looked myself up and done, deemed myself public appropriate even though I looked like a really freaky twenty two year old, and grabbed my suitcase. I left my room and zoomed by Coulson, leaving my apartment before I could think too much about it.

"That was barely five minutes." Coulson said, following after me.

I shrugged like it was no big deal. "Magic. It's freakin' awesome." I answered, walking down the stairs to the lobby. A whole team of men in black suits were waiting just outside my apartment building, their hands poised over their guns. They all looked shocked when I walked out of my own accord instead of Coulson dragging me or carrying my unconscious body. I chuckled at their surprise and then blushed deeply when their thoughts turned to my appearance. I instantly threw up a wall between me and their thoughts but I still heard plenty. "I'm warning you now boys." I said loudly, following Coulson to a black car. "I can read minds and I just heard every last bit of what you were thinking. Please, refrain from pervy thoughts okay?" I said.

Coulson laughed as he opened the car door for me, letting me slip in. He shut it before walking over to the other side of the car and climbing inside. "Their faces are bright red." He told me once the door was shut.

"I would hope so. Phil, you would have hit them upside the head for the thoughts running through their heads." I said, laughing a little.

"Well if you ever feel uncomfortable with their thoughts you can tell me. I'll personally take care of it." Coulson assured me, not making any comment about me calling him Phil. He was smiling slightly and I wanted to listen to his thoughts and find out why but I suddenly had a great amount of respect for him so I didn't.

I grinned, leaning back into the seat. "That won't be necessary. I can block out their thoughts most of the time." I told him, closing my eyes. I felt the car start moving and took a deep breath. I got car sick so easily even after roughly two hundred years of riding around in the things. I wished Midgardians still rode horses.

**_"_****Only****_ most of the time. Sometimes you can't help but hear them." _**Nanna pointed out annoyingly.

_"Only when everyone is having super intense thoughts or feelings. Passing thoughts, fleeting feelings, I can ignore those." _I reminded her. We hit a bump and I let out a groan, nausea rolling around in my stomach. "In Odin's name I swear someday I'll bring riding horses back into style." I mumbled causing Coulson to let out an amused but kind of confused chuckle.

Grid growled in my head. **_"If you get sick I swear I'll give you a headache for a month. I will not have us getting embarrassed like that." _**She told me furiously.

Nanna shoved Grid a little. **_"Stop being mean. You don't like cars either." _** She said angrily.

Grid shoved Nanna back, snarling. **_"Only because I have to share the same stomach as Britt and she gets sick in these things." _**The meaner voice said furiously. I groaned placing a fist to my forehead and digging my knuckles into my skull. **_"Oh and Nan if you ever shove me again it'll be the last thing you ever do." _**

_"Touch her and I'll never let you have control for even the briefest second ever again." _I threatened.

Thankfully, that shut Grid up. Nanna started going on about weird things though and I briefly wished Grid would shove her to shut her up. Then I remembered I could do that myself and I did, silencing her as politely as I could with a somewhat gentle shove. The pain in my head increased though now that both of the voices in my head were angry. I seriously felt like I was going to throw up with the pain in my head and in my stomach mixing.

"You okay?" Coulson asked so suddenly that I jumped.

I opened one eye long enough to see his troubled expression. "No." I grumbled, wrapping an arm around my stomach and digging my fist even harder against my forehead. "I've got car sickness, the voices in my head won't shut up, my life's getting ripped apart. It kind of sucks eggs." I told him.

"I'm sorry." Coulson said, sounding sincere. I smiled a little, thankful that someone cared, then groaned as we hit another bump. "I can't do anything about the last two but once we reach Brooklyn we'll be switching to a jet. We're picking someone up there." He said. I heard a note of excitement in his voice and figured the person we were going to pick up was a big deal.

"Sweet. How far away is Brooklyn?" I asked.

"We're in Queens so I'd say roughly thirty five minutes." Coulson told me.

I let out a loud obnoxious groan that Coulson chuckled at. "I'm going to die." I informed him. Coulson chuckled again and I frowned, wondering if my illness was foreshadowing the events to come.


	2. The Captain

Britta's P.O.V

When the car pulled to a stop outside a Brooklyn apartment building I literally fled from the car. I got to the sidewalk and fell on my knees, looking up at the night sky with a rapturous smile. "Thank Odin! Solid ground!" I exclaimed dramatically, raising my arms into the air as if in delighted prayer.

Coulson got out of the car, laughing at me. "Was it that bad?" He asked me.

I looked over at him, a smile playing at my lips as I put on an anguished expression. "Yes!" I gushed out dramatically. Coulson chuckled and I grinned wildly, getting to my feet. I stared up at the apartment building with a bit of confusion but mostly intrigue. "Who are we picking up exactly? I mean, you S.H.I.E.L.D guys don't exactly come off as the apartment type so I doubt he's one of yours." I said. Coulson looked at me in surprise and went to ask how I knew about S.H.I.E.L.D but I held up a hand to silence him. "Mind reader, remember? I kind of listened to the driver. He doesn't know much but he knows enough. So who we getting?" I said as if it was no big deal.

Coulson looked up at the apartment building and smiled. "A hero." He said simply though he spoke the word as if it was a prayer. I got such a fanboy feel off of him that I took a step back, trying to block out his thought. Intense feelings and me do not mix. My own make me unbalanced, a threat almost, and other people's made me hear their thoughts. I learned way too much about people during intense moments, which was why I avoided all couples. The things you here…dear gods it could make you sick.

I followed Coulson into the apartment building, up some stairs, to basically just a random door. I stared around lazily, taking in how old fashioned the place looked. Like it hadn't been changed since the forties. The forties…gods that time sucked. Hitler. I hate that guy.

Coulson knocked on the apartment door and within five minutes it opened. I glanced over at the person now standing in the doorway then did a double take. Gorgeous blue eyes, blonde hair in a forties hairstyle, strong chin, muscles to die for. I'd seen him before and not just in old Captain America posters back in the forties. I saw him crash.

"It's impossible." I whispered, staring at the Captain as if he was the one from another planet instead of me. Both him and Coulson looked at me in confusion. "I saw you crash." I said and both men's eyes grew to the size of dinner plates. "I was seeing what the Tesseract saw the whole time Hydra had it. I saw you fighting that Schmidt guy, I saw him open a portal like an idiot, I saw him die and you standing there watching in horror." I said quietly, looking at the floor as I remembered clearly the time I'd spent seeing what the Tesseract saw. My voice shook as I remembered it all. The intensity, the pain. I didn't even look up at the Captain, too caught up in my memories. "When the Tesseract fell to the sea I held on to its vision. I wanted to know what happened to you since the whole mess was my fault." I looked up at the Captain, pain rippling through my whole body. "You crashed! Into ice! How are you alive?!" I shouted at him, shaking.

Captain America stared at me like I had just grown a second head. I didn't mean to shout, I was just so shocked. He had died. I had watched him crash. For a whole decade after that I'd been a walking mess, unable to stand the guilt clawing inside me. If I hadn't messed with that stupid cube it would never have ended up on Midgard and Hydra would never have been able to use it. If Hydra hadn't been able to use it they wouldn't have been able to make their weapons and the Captain would never have had to crash the plane. His fate had been my fault and even now, seventy years later, I was still ridden with guilt and self hate. Now here he was, Captain America, alive and well, standing in front of me. So incredibly confused that his mind opened up to me and I was sucked straight into his thoughts.

Within two seconds I knew Captain America's, Steve Rogers's, whole life. I saw everything that had ever happened to him, including his last moments before he plunged into the ice. I let out a cry filled with pain and crumpled to the floor, clutching my head.

"Oh my gods I'm so sorry!" I shouted, not looking up at Steve as I dissolved into self loathing tears. I had ruined his life! He missed a date, missed living out a wonderful life with a wonderful girl, all because of that stupid cube being here which was my freakin' fault! I looked up at him and saw the confusion on his face. "I can read minds and I kind of just read yours and I found out your whole past and so freakin' sorry and you are allowed to murder me at any point because I ruined your life!" I said, my voice steadily going higher until I was shouting at him. Tears were rolling down my face and I hated myself for crying. I had no right to cry when I'd done so much to this poor extremely hot guy.

My tears intensified when Steve knelt down beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Ma'am I have no clue what you're talking about but I know a pretty girl like you should not be crying." He told me awkwardly.

I let out a strangled laugh. "You're so damn sweet. Peggy would have been so lucky." I told him. Steve stared at me in shock, no doubt wondering how I knew that impressive woman. "Like I said, I can read minds and I read yours. Every last bit. I'm sorry. It was all my fault." I said, my voice small and weak. I sounded like I was dying and I prayed to Odin that I was. I didn't deserve to live. I'd killed so many by playing with the Tesseract. I deserved death. Steve deserved to kill me.

Steve chuckled slightly, trying to get rid of some of the awkward shock filling him. "I doubt my whole life was your fault." He said jokingly.

I laughed a bit but it got stuck in my throat. "Not your whole life. Just the war part. Hydra would have been able to kill so many if I'd just left that stupid cube alone." I told him. Steve stared at me in confusion and I waved my hand dismissively when he tried to speak. "I know what you're thinking. Zola is to blame for the weapons but I'm the one who made it possible for him to make them. It's my fault the Tesseract ended up here. It's my fault you had to crash the plane." I was practically whispering by the end. I looked up into Steve's eyes, saw the confusion on his face, and shook my head. Before he could react I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him. "I'm so sorry. You can kill me if you want, I deserve it. I won't even fight back." I told him.

Steve pulled away from me sharply and stared at me like I was insane. "I'm not going to kill you." He said, looking disgusted by the idea.

"I wish you would." I said immediately. Steve couldn't respond to that, how exactly do you respond to someone saying they wanted you to kill them? I wiped the tears out of my eyes before offering him my hand. "My name's Britta by the way. I'll explain all the crazy I just said and a bit more when we get wherever Phil's taking us." I told him.

The super soldier took my hand immediately though he still looked confused and shocked. "Steve Rogers. But you already knew that." He said, smiling a little at me. I chuckled and he stood up, still holding onto my hand. He easily lifted me to my feet before releasing my hand. While he retrieved his bag from his doorway I turned to Phil.

"You're right Phil." I told him, wiping away a few more tears. Coulson stared at me with a mixture of confusion and shock that almost made me chuckle. Almost. "That man's the definition of hero." I said, pointing at Steve who promptly blushed.

Nothing else was said as we made our way back downstairs to the gods forsaken car. I climbed into the car without a word, sitting between Phil and Steve and feeling the torrent of emotions in both of them. I tried to shut out their thoughts but I couldn't. Phil was starting to admire me for knowing the Captain's every thought while Steve was wondering how I could know anything about him. He already decided though that if I was to blame for the Tesseract being on earth he wouldn't hate me for it. I nearly kissed him for that before the self loathing kicked back in and, with it, the voices in my head who had been surprisingly silent.

**_"You ruined his life. He could have grown old, had kids, lived a good life with Peggy if you hadn't messed with the Tesseract." _**Grid told me cruelly, laughing at my pain.

**_"She didn't know any of that would happen when she picked the cube up Grid!" _**Nanna snapped furiously. Grid rolled her nonexistent eyes and I felt Nanna glare. **_"Besides, it wasn't her fault. They dared her to do it!" _**Nanna added.

I shook my head sadly. _"I could have chosen not to go through with the dare Nan. Grid's right for once, this was all my fault. There's no excuses." _I told her.

Grid grinned wickedly, I could feel her do it. **_"Imagine how he'll react when you tell him the full story." _**She said evilly. She knew I was planning on telling the Captain everything the second I got a chance to. I owed him so much but the least I could give him was the truth.

I shuddered involuntarily. _"He'll murder me and I'll deserve it." _I said before burying my face in my hands. I let out a heavy pain filled sigh that was impossible to ignore. "How much longer till we get to the jet Phil?" I mumbled out, just now noticing my car sickness.

"Ten minutes. Think you can survive?" Coulson asked me.

I looked up at him, my face dead serious. "I really hope I don't." I told him. We hit another bump and I groaned loudly, doubling over in pain. It was nothing I didn't deserve though so when the Captain started awkwardly rubbing comforting circles on my back I hated myself for feeling better. I also hated myself even more because Steve was one of the best under acknowledged men in history and he was rubbing circles on my back even though I ruined his life. I swore then and there to put his life ahead of mine no matter what. I owed him that and so much more.


	3. Meet the Director

Britta's P.O.V

Once we were on the jet I felt so much better. Well my stomach felt so much better anyways. I couldn't even look over at Steve without feeling a huge amount of guilt. Luckily though Phil gave us both tablets to look at and I distracted myself by staring at the different profiles of the people I was supposedly going to meet. Apparently I was going to be working with some other people despite only being a consultant. I was starting to doubt that was the only reason I'd been called in though. Something just didn't seem right. Especially since I had some extra profiles that the super soldier didn't seem to have, Tony Stark's and Thor's. I didn't say anything though, knowing something bad would probably happen if I did.

"So this Doctor Banner was trying to replicate the serum they used on me?" Steve asked, looking up at Phil who had walked across the jet to him. I immediately scrolled back to Doctor Banner's profile and reread a few of the things there. I didn't care too much about the enormous green guy he turned into, I was more interested in the absolute genius the green guy was attached to.

"A lot of people were." Phil answered, nodding a little. "You were the world's first superhero." He said and I smiled a little, hearing the slight fanboy note in his voice. "Banner thought gamma radiation might hold the key to unlocking Erskine's original formula."

Hulk roared on Steve's tablet and I looked up for a second to see the footage of the monster fighting. Pity instantly filled me when I thought about poor Doctor Banner getting blamed for the monster's actions. "Didn't really go his way did it?" Steve said grimly. A tone that didn't really deserve a smile but got one anyways from Phil.

"Not so much." Phil said agreeingly. I gave the man a sharp disapproving look. He did know Bruce was a genius right? Phil noticed my look and I felt his slight shame. "When he's not that thing though the guy's like a Stephen Hawking." Phil said. Steve looked up at Coulson in confusion and I smiled a little, thinking it was cute that he didn't know who that was. Then I felt horrible again as Grid reminded me his ignorance was my fault. "He's like a smart person." Phil said awkwardly, obviously embarrassed. I felt bad for making him feel embarrassed in front of his hero and I shot him an apologetic look that he dismissed with a small smile.

I cleared my throat awkwardly, making both men look over at me. I felt my face heat up with shame as Steve stared at me and I looked down at the tablet. "Why exactly are they bringing Banner in?" I asked.

"They think he'll be able to locate the Tesseract for us which is also one of the reasons we brought you in." Phil told me.

"And the other reasons?" I asked, looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. A bit of Grid shined through in my eyes, making me seem malicious.

Phil cleared his throat awkwardly. "Like I said when we met, you could be a potential threat. Director Fury wants to know all about you so he can decide whether or not you need to be under surveillance." He explained.

"He'll be wanting to know all my little secrets then. He'll want to make a profile on me which I have no doubt Doctor Banner and Steve will be able to access since they're supposed to be working with me." I said, my voice flat. Phil nodded, staring at me with either caution or concern I couldn't really tell. I didn't want to tell this Director Fury anything but I knew I was going to have to. Besides, even if I did tell him all my secrets there was absolutely no way he could keep me prisoner or survey me forever. I pressed my lips into a firm annoyed line, telling the two men I wasn't going to talk anymore. Phil instantly turned to Steve and started going into this gigantic fanboy speech that I chuckled at. About halfway through it I turned off the tablet and closed my eyes, deciding to prepare myself for what was coming.

_**"You are so screwed."** _Grid told me cheerfully.

I glared slightly, my eyes still closed. _"Shut up Grid, I'm not screwed. They can't contain me even if they manage to get me in a cage so there's no need to worry." _I said.

_**"What if they somehow manage to block your magic?"** _Nanna asked with concern.

_"Still got the mind controlling. That's not magic, that's using my brain." _I reminded her.

I continued to have this little talk with the voices in my head, getting into an argument with Grid over how much violence I should use in case they do try to put me in a cage, until I felt the jet slowly descending. I kept my eyes closed though until Phil came over and gently "woke me up." I opened my eyes in fake grogginess and stared around in confusion, like I didn't realize where I was. I pretended to remember though and let out a groan. "Crap. Guess it wasn't a dream." I mumbled, chuckling a little.

Phil smiled a bit. "I'm afraid it wasn't." He told me, watching as I rubbed my eyes free of nonexistent sleepiness. "I wouldn't have woken you up if I could help it but we're landing and I figured you'd want to walk off the jet instead of being carried." He said, smiling slightly.

I pouted suddenly, surprising him a little. "I could have been carried?" I asked him. Phil smirked a little and nodded. I let out a loud overly dramatic groan that he chuckled slightly at. "I want to be carried! I hate walking! Phil, will you carry me?" I asked him childishly. I put on a ridiculous begging face that was meant to make the man laugh instead of convince him to actually carry me.

"Sorry, that's not in my job description." Phil told me. I pretended to get upset and pouted some more, a smile playing at my lips as I did. Phil chuckled and shook his head, walking over to the pilots as he did.

When the jet landed I was the last one off, somewhat unwilling to face whatever was waiting for me. But then I remembered my vow to put Steve's life in front of my own and I followed him out, instantly moving to Phil's side since I felt more comfortable by him. He looked to his left and I followed his gaze to a red headed woman approaching us. "Agent Romanoff." Phil said formally, stopping and facing her. "This is Captain Rogers and Britta." Phil said, gesturing to each of us. He sounded so much more eager introducing Steve than me but I didn't blame him. The soldier _was_ impressive and he truly was a hero.

"Ma'am." Rogers said politely.

"Hi." Agent Romanoff replied, nodding to him. She looked over at me but all I gave her was a slight nod. The redhead was giving off a very strong spy feel which I instantly distrusted. She nodded back curtly before turning to Phil. I kind of tuned her out for a second as I looked around in amazement at my military looking surroundings but I came back to reality when Phil walked away. I pouted a little, I had planned to make him my distraction from the redhead and Steve. Agent Romanoff turned and started walking and Steve and I followed quickly, neither of us wanting to be left behind on this weird chip thing.

Agent Romanoff started talking to Steve and I tuned her out again, looking around nervously. There were a lot of people here and clearly they were all armed. If something went wrong and I tried escaping I doubted they would give me enough time to control their minds and stop them. They'd riddle me with bullets before I got the chance. Grid started cursing me for my stupidity while Nanna went on and on about how we were all going to die. I told them to shut up but it didn't do much good.

"Doctor Banner." Steve suddenly called out, making me jump a little as his voice forced me back into reality. Agent Romanoff raised an eyebrow at me questioningly, silently asking why I had jumped. I shot her a "don't judge me" kind of glare before turning my attention to Banner.

"Oh. Yeah. Hi." Doctor Banner said, shaking Steve's hand. He swept his eyes from Steve's feet back to his face, his scientist eyes taking in every last detail. I felt him remembering why he had been performing the experiment that ruined his life and bit my lip, feeling bad for both men. "They told me you'd be coming." Doctor Banner said. He looked over at me, a little surprised by my appearance but mostly confused by me being there. "I'm sorry but they told me nothing about you." He told me, offering me his hand.

I shrugged, taking his hand and shaking it. "They only very recently found out I existed so I doubt there's any paperwork on me." I told him, smiling a little. Doctor Banner nodded, dropping my hand. I smiled when he clasped his hands together and began twiddling his thumbs because that's exactly what I did the second my hand was free. I clapped a hand on his shoulder, startling him. "I'm very glad I've met you Doctor Banner." I told him sincerely.

Doctor Banner looked at me in confusion. "Okay. Why?" He asked me.

I grinned wildly at him. "Because now I know there's someone who's just as nervous as me on this thing. I'm not the only one who doesn't trust anybody here anymore." I told him, actually getting a chuckle out of the man.

"Word is you can find the cube." Steve said, cutting off the banter I was hoping to have with the good doctor. I shot the solider an annoyed look before remembering the pain I'd put him through and looking down at the ground, ashamed.

Doctor Banner looked around nervously. "Is that the uh only word on me?" He asked. I gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze before removing my hand from his shoulder. I took a step away, grabbing onto my braid and pulling on it as I looked around for potential threats. It barely took me two seconds to realize that everything here was a potential threat.

"Only word I care about." Steve said sincerely.

Bruce nodded and I felt how much that meant to him. He was so used to people only caring about the other guy. I felt so bad for him. "It must be strange for you. All of this." The doctor said, gesturing to the military stuff around us.

Steve smiled a little and I felt a sharp pain in my chest, another hit of guilt slowly killing me. "Well this is all actually kind of familiar." He said, sounding a bit fond.

"Gentlemen, Britta." Agent Romanoff said, catching our attention. We all turned to her at the same time, making me smirk a little. "You may want to step inside in a minute. It's gonna get a little hard to breathe." She told us.

I heard the sound of engines whirling and metal moving before the men. I looked around in confusion, a little frightened. The men started looking around a moment later though they only looked confused. Even Banner wasn't frightened. I felt my cheeks heat up with shame and Grid called me a coward that Nanna couldn't help but agree with. I agreed too, I was a coward. A huge freaking coward. "Is this a submarine?" Steve asked.

"Oh gods I hope not." I said immediately, tugging on my braid so hard that it hurt.

Banner chuckled, looking around. The men started walking towards the edge and I followed them, not wanting to appear cowardly in front of them. "Really? They want me in a submerged pressurized metal container?" He asked which I laughed at. Agent Romanoff smirked a little, obviously agreeing with me that it was funny. We walked to the edge and peered down. I gasped in surprise when I noticed the gigantic fan looking thing rising up out of the water. Human technology never ceased to amaze me. The carrier suddenly heaved upwards out of the water and my eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Steve backed up in shock, just as amazed by the technology as I was, while Bruce stared down at the fan laughing kind of darkly. "Oh no this is much worse." He said, turning away from the fan.

I laughed and looped an arm through Bruce's, clinging to him a little in fright. He looked absolutely shocked at the physical contact but even more shocked that I trusted him enough already to cling to him. "I kind of doubt this is worse. At least if we fall off we'll die the second we hit the ocean. If we were beneath it our deaths would probably take a bit." I said jokingly.

_**"I swear to the gods if you fall off this thing or jump I'll kill**_** you." **Grid growled at me.

_"Empty threat. You need me to live." _I told her smugly.

Agent Romanoff made us go inside almost immediately after that, explaining unnecessarily to me and Steve about how it would be next to impossible to breathe at such a high altitude. I exchanged an exasperated look with Steve who smiled a little before my guilt set in again. My grip on Doctor Banner's arm slackened considerably once we were inside and by the time we reached what was obviously the control room my hold on him had become casual, a simple arm loop. I released him though once we were in the room, letting him skirt around the wall while I wandered out into the open with Steve. The room was impressive and all the technology was too. If it wasn't for all the people carrying guns I might have been at ease in the room. Also Director Fury, who I recognized from Phil's thoughts, noticing me out of the corner of his eye kind of freaked me out.

Fury spun around suddenly, facing us. "Gentlemen. Ma'am." He said somewhat politely as he walked over. I immediately scurried behind the table, placing an obstacle between me and Fury. Banner smiled a little at me but quickly turned away when Fury came walking over. I noticed him shoving a ten dollar bill into his pocket and Steve walking away and I wondered what I missed. Fury glanced at me before turning to the doctor. "Doctor Banner, thank you for coming." He said.

I looked around the room, yawning as I did. **_"Tired?"_ **Nanna asked worriedly. I nodded sleepily, rubbing at my eye in a vain attempt to dismiss the tiredness in it. I was starting to regret not sleeping on the jet like I'd pretended to. It would have been nice to be fully awake while facing this insanity.

"Agent Romanoff, would you show Doctor Banner to his laboratory please?" Fury said. The redheaded woman nodded and walked over, gesturing for Doctor Banner to follow her. I went to follow her too but Fury stopped me, grabbing my shoulder and pushing me back a bit. Banner noticed this and stopped, looking back at me with a little worry. "And where do you think you're going?" Fury asked me.

I glared up at Fury, not appreciating his tone or being pushed. Grid suggested letting her deal with him but I pushed her back, knowing that would be a very bad idea. I gestured to Doctor Banner. "Phil told me I was being brought in as a consultant of sorts. He said I was supposed to help locate that stupid freakin' evil little cube so shouldn't I be going with Banner?" I asked angrily.

Fury glared down at me. "Not until we've found out more about you. We still don't know if you're trustworthy or not and I want a full profile done on you." He told me.

Grid slipped past my defenses and I just barely managed to throw on the appearance spell before she shoved me back. Everyone stared at me in shock as my appearance changed. My features turned sharper, crueler, and my hair turned raven wing black. "You'll have a hard time doing that if you're dead." Grid said, grinning wickedly. I saw Fury reach for his gun and I screamed, shoving Grid out of control again. I removed the spell and stumbled backwards, my hands up in surrender.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" I said quickly, pressing my back to the wall. "That's one of my problems, I've got other people living in my head and fighting for control over my body. Used a spell to change my appearance so you'd know it wasn't me but that doesn't really work cause you'd still kill me for Grid's actions cause it's still my body." I said quickly. When everyone remained silent I grinned sheepishly, lowering my hands. "Uh sorry?" I said awkwardly. My eyes darted to Fury's hand and I sighed in relief when I saw it wasn't poised over his gun anymore. I looked up at him, my face dead serious. "I'll tell you all you want to know." I told him. Fury stared at me for a moment before nodding and gesturing for me to follow. I stayed rooted to the spot though and he turned, raising an eyebrow at me. "Steve has to come though." I told the Director, my tone suggesting that there would be no arguing the matter.

"Me? Why?" Steve asked, walking over.

I smiled at him sadly. "He's going to make me tell him my past which you deserve to hear since I royally screwed up your life." I told him. I looked over at Fury who was still staring at me and put on a dead serious expression. "He comes or I won't say a word." I said firmly.

Fury stared at me for a few more minutes, debating whether or not to argue with me. Finally he turned to Steve. "I guess you're coming too Captain." He said before turning and marching from the room.

Steve and I followed the Director from the room. I let out a deep sigh as we did, pinching the bridge of my nose as I did. "Gods I'm going to regret this." I mumbled regretfully as I followed Fury to an interrogation room.


	4. Interrogation

Britta's P.O.V

I stared around the interrogation room, already bored out of my mind. Fury was standing across from me looking angry, I'd refused to sit down at the table and give him even more of a height advantage. I was leaning lazily against the wall instead, shooting Steve a sweet comforting smile. He was standing by the door awkwardly, obviously still wondering why he had to be there. "I can't tell you absolutely everything, mostly because I don't remember it and I've been alive for longer than you can guess." I admitted to Fury, smiling a little when I saw the frustration appear on his face.

"I only need the important details." Fury told me.

I nodded and grabbed my braid, tugging on it. "Alright. Well, I grew up on Asgard which you obviously know about due to the information Thor's profile." I said, smiling a little as I remembered what they'd said about my friend. They'd praised him highly, something I was sure the golden haired warrior would be pleased with if he knew. "I'm not full blooded Asgardian though. I'm part Light Elf thanks to my mom taking a shine to my Elf father during a rare visit from the elves to Asgard. My father abandoned my mother, not wanting to create a scandal by admitting I was his, and my mother died during childbirth. The queen gave me to the servants to take care of and I practically grew up alongside the princes of Asgard. Me and Loki were taught magic together while I was taught combat with Thor. They're like my brothers." I said before letting out a loud yawn.

Fury was glaring and I don't know whether it was because of my yawn or something else. "So you're friends with a madman?" He asked furiously, a threatening tone to his voice. I had a feeling he would kill me or imprison me if I said yes. Oh well, at least now I knew I could yawn and not get glared at.

Of course I had just had to peeve Fury off so I let out a snort. "Who? Loki?" I asked, raising an amused eyebrow. I still couldn't really believe that Loki had changed so much and I probably wouldn't until I saw stone cold evidence of his insanity. Fury nodded slightly, still glaring. "Well I've been gone from Asgard for about two thousand years so I kind of doubt I'm still his friend. Even if I am, I'm not friends with the madman Loki. I'm friends with the old Loki, my harmless prankster." I told him, smiling a little as a memory of me and him pranking Thor came to mind.

"You said you ruined my life. How?" Steve asked, staring at me. I wondered if he was pulling the conversation away from Loki on purpose or if he really wanted to know what I meant. Probably both.

My face instantly heated up with shame and I looked at the ground, hating myself. "I'm the reason the Tesseract ended up here." I said quietly. I glanced up to see Fury looking at me intently, clearly interested now. I looked back at the ground quickly, hating that look. "Originally the Tesseract was kept for safekeeping on Asgard, not Midgard. It got sent here when I made a very big mistake." I admitted.

Grid snorted and I winced. **_"Is that how you describe it? How about a cataclysmic screw up? That's a little more accurate."_ **She said mockingly.

**_"Shut up Grid, she's telling a_ story."** Nanna said angrily, though she didn't deny that my description was horrid.

"I was very young, basically just a kid. Being a Halfling and a magic user, I was always trying to prove myself as brave as the others. The others being Thor and his friends, the warriors. Loki didn't think I needed to prove myself, he thought I was awesome." I said, staring at the ground. I kept switching between wringing my hands together and pulling on my braid, the latter hurting a whole lot worse. "We were all playing truth or dare one day, a dumb game but we could come up with some really good dares. Sif dared me to hold the Tesseract even though it was forbidden. She thought she could either humiliate me or get me in trouble. As you can tell, Sif didn't really like me that much. Something to do with Thor liking me more than her. Anyways, I wasn't going to let her mock me for being a coward so we all snuck down to the weapons vault and I did as I was dared. I took the Tesseract in both hands and held it." Pain suddenly shot through my head and I slid to the ground, pressing a fist to my forehead. "I didn't know it but the second I picked up that damned cube I started absorbing some of it. The Tesseract...it cleared my mind. It taught me how to open up different parts of my brain, which is why I can read minds and control them. Then, just when I started thinking the Tesseract was a gift, it plunged me into insanity. It twisted my thoughts, created madness, destroyed whole parts of me. Just as I was about to be totally consumed by the madness Loki came running in with the Allfather. He'd gone and got him when I first picked up the cube which is what saved my life really. If the Allfather hadn't taken the Tesseract from me when he did I would either be dead or a monster."

I didn't even realize I was crying until I'd finished talking. I wiped them away furiously, hating myself for my weakness. The memories just hurt so much. I could remember every last moment while I was holding the Tesseract in vivid detail. I remembered that blissful clearness that had originally filled my head, a clearness I longed for now that it was gone. When that clearness was ripped away from me and replaced with madness it had hurt so much, like someone ripping my arms off.

Slowly, I looked up at Steve. He was staring at me, still a little confused. I sighed sadly and wiped away a few more tears. "When the Allfather saw how the Tesseract effected me he decided it wouldn't be safe to keep it on Asgard. He hid it on Midgard, thinking it would be safe among you ignorant mortals. But he was wrong. The Tesseract was found and used for horrible things." I stared into Steve's eyes, watching the understanding fill them. "Because of me the Tesseract was used to make weapons. Because of me you had to crash into the ice. Now do you understand why I said you could kill me?" I asked him.

Steve stared at me and I felt the massive mix of emotions coming from him. I scooted as far away from him as possible, pressing both hands to my head as I tried to block out his thoughts. I didn't want to hear them but, unfortunately, I did. I couldn't help it. I stared at him in shock when he started forgiving me, thinking that there was absolutely no way I could have known what had happened. He also started making excuses for my stupidity, thinking that I had been a kid when it happened and all kids make mistakes. Mine was a pretty big mistake though. "I forgive you." Steve told me sincerely.

"You shouldn't." I said instantly, slowly picking myself up off the ground. I smiled at him a little, putting as much thanks and regret into the smile as I could. "But thank you." I told him. He nodded, smiling just a little.

**_"You know, he's kind of hot."_ **Nanna said suddenly. My face turned bright red and I looked away from Steve, not wanting him to see. Grid laughed wildly in my head and I had to force back a smile. It _was_ kind of funny. **_"Why are you_ laughing?"** Nanna asked in confusion which just made Grid laugh harder.

"What else can you do besides read and control minds?" Fury asked me.

I looked over at him and decided that I completely hated the guy. "Well I can use magic. I'm a very powerful sorceress when I want to be." I said, glaring at him for a second or two. Just to prove it I made a few copies of myself appear around the room. Steve stared at the copies in shock while Fury looked unimpressed. I could feel the Director's intrigue though so I didn't get too mad about it. I banished the copies with a flick of my hand. "Being a Halfling I can work some Light Elf magic. Simple stuff like invisibility and illusions, nothing too big. Also, since I've got Tesseract magic in me, I can see what that stupid cube sees. The Tesseract magic is also to be blamed for my freaky eyes and the voices in my head that like to take over my body. You witnessed that earlier." I told him. I sounded casual, like all of it was no big deal.

"You can see what the Tesseract does?" Fury asked. I nodded examining my fingernails as I followed his thought process. "Do it then. Find out where it's at." He told me. I nodded again, placed a hand to my head, and tried to connect with the Tesseract.

I got the briefest flash of someone's face, someone with glowing blue Tesseract eyes like mine, before I was thrown back into my own body. I cried out in pain as it felt like my head was being smashed with a wrecking ball. Grid and Nanna cried out too but they weren't nearly as affected, they were more apart of me than they were the Tesseract. The Tesseract may have shaped them but they were made from parts of my brain. I cursed them for being so lucky as I dug my fists into my forehead, trying to stop the pain. "Something's keeping me from connecting to the Tesseract. I don't know what." I explained when I saw the two men staring at me. Steve was concerned about me but Fury just wanted answers. The jerk. I bit down on my lip, hard, to move some of the pain out of my head and into my lip. "Are we done here? I feel like I could go into Odinsleep right about now." I asked the Director.

"Just a few more things and you can leave." Fury told me. I nodded and indicated he should go ahead and ask. "Tell me about the voices in your head, specifically the one that nearly got you killed, and tell me why you came to Earth in the first place." Fury said. I nearly laughed at his no nonsense tone. Seriousness just made me want to giggle.

"Well I only have two voices in my head. The one you met is Grid and she wants to kill you all." I told him. I paused for a second and Fury watched me carefully. "She just suggested something very cruel involving your eye. I'm not even going to say what it is, you'll kill me just for being the messenger." I told him, looking a tad bit apologetic but mostly disgusted. Sometimes Grid really was disturbing. "The other one is Nanna and she's basically harmless unless you try hurting me and then she gets vicious. She's adorable. Oh and she says hi." I said, rubbing my forehead absently as I spoke. Fury nodded and gave me a look that said I should go ahead and tell him the rest of what he wanted to know. I knew he was going to be really stubborn about it so I decided I should probably control his mind just a little so get him to back off. "It was Grid's fault. Please, don't ask me to explain." I told him, just pushing a little to make him at least consider the idea of not making me say anything.

Fury looked a little thoughtful for a moment then his expression turned into a fierce nearly terrifying glare. If I hadn't seen the Allfather at his maddest I probably would have been frightened. "Are you controlling my thoughts?" He asked furiously.

"Only slightly. Just enough for you to realize that if I must I will." I told him truthfully. Fury kept glaring but I stared back at him with a look of rock hard resolve. "You can't make me do anything but I can make you leave me alone. I'm asking nicely instead of forcing you cause I hate controlling people but if I have to I will control your head." I said, my voice low and somewhat threatening as Grid played a little with control. "Can I go now?" I asked politely, gesturing to the door.

"We'll be making a profile of you. The others will be able to read it." Fury told me.

I took that as my okay to leave and I walked to the door, nodding. "Fine with me. Everyone should know just what they're dealing with." I said. I opened the door but stopped, turning to Steve and giving him a sweet smile. "You and me should hang out later, Captain." I told him sincerely before leaving the room, heading straight for Doctor Banner's laboratory.


	5. The Doctor

No Real P.O.V

It was easy, finding Doctor Banner. All Britta had to do was lock onto his thought waves and follow them. He had very interesting thought waves too. There were two sides of his thought waves. One was brilliant, calm, impressive. The other was primitive, intense, and almost scary. Britta realized that the other side, the darker one, must be the Hulk. Banner's "other guy."

"Doctor Banner!" Britta said cheerfully, walking into the lab with her arms raised high in the air in what probably looked like excitement. The good doctor looked up at her in surprise but smiled a little. "How goes the search?" Britta asked, walking over. She leaned against the table and peeked at the screen he had been looking at. From what she could tell, Doctor Banner had found _her_. "Wow you're good. I thought it would take a while before someone realized that I was infused with Tesseract energy without me telling them." Britta said, putting a praising note in her voice as she marveled at Banner's quick work.

"You have Tesseract energy inside you?" Doctor Banner asked curiously, staring at her as if she was a new species of animal. Technically to him she was. A Halfling from another world with some really messed up energy, definitely not something the doctor was used to.

Britta nodded, grabbing the end of her braid and examining it. "Yeah but you'll be finding out about that pretty soon." She told him. Just then there was a beep and a profile marked "Confidential" appeared on Banner's screen. He opened it and a picture, a very recent one taken practically the second she got off the jet, of Britta appeared on the screen. Britta stared at the screen, impressed. "Wow, they're faster than I thought. Though I'm sure this is just a rough profile of all that they've found out so far. They don't know about my need for witty banter and obsession with Supernatural yet." She said, grinning at the doctor.

Banner smiled a little before gesturing to the screen. "May I?" He asked her. Banner felt like he needed to be cautious around the girl and not just his normal type of cautious. She had said, rather quickly, that she had voices in her head trying to take over her body and Banner could relate. Even now he could feel the other guy waiting for him to get just a little bit stressed so he could make his move.

"Why not?" Britta said, walking around the table. She joined him at his side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders, surprising him. Why was she so comfortable around him? Surely she had seen the footage of the other guy. She should be terrified of him. "Just let me read it too okay? I want to make sure they didn't screw anything up." Britta told him, grinning. Bruce nodded and began scrolling through her profile, reading everything carefully.

Britta's profile was strictly words and not very full. She couldn't help being relieved that they didn't include the footage of her interrogation, no doubt a camera had been somewhere in the room. It would have been really embarrassing, she'd probably looked like a wimpy little girl during the interrogation. The profile didn't include a character analysis, probably because they knew basically nothing of her, and it wasn't very useful. It listed her powers, talked very briefly about the Tesseract energy and how at the moment she couldn't access the cube, and had a very short description of Grid and Nanna. Grid's was longer, describing her little encounter with Fury. Her profile included her account of why the Tesseract was on Earth though there were a few things missing. Like how the Tesseract had driven her insane. Of course Britta hadn't talked in detail about it, not wanting to bring up the horrible memories of her two hundred years spent in the healing rooms while she slowly dispelled most of her madness. Bruce remained silent the whole time and by the time he was done reading Britta had left his side, placing herself once more on the other side of the table. She was looking at the ground in shame, her cheeks red and tears in her eyes.

"I'm surprised they haven't tried putting you in a cage." Bruce said jokingly, feeling compelled to make the girl feel better. She obviously blamed herself fully for everything that had happened so far thanks to the Tesseract which was why, Bruce guessed, she had had an apologetic light in her eyes every time she looked at Steve.

Britta looked up at him and smiled. "They probably would if I couldn't make them do whatever I wanted with a thought." She told him. Bruce smiled but watched her carefully. The profile had mentioned her mind controlling capabilities but it had neglected to mention whether she would use them on others. Britta felt Bruce's caution and winced a little. "I wouldn't control anyone unless I had to of course. I hate controlling people." She said quickly, not wanting him to be afraid of her. On Asgard, after she managed to come back from her insanity, people had stared at her with caution. As if they expected her to snap at any moment. After her second big mistake their caution had turned to outright fear, one of the reasons she'd left. Britta glanced up at the doctor, her cheeks a little redder now. "Just a warning, when someone's feelings are really intense I can hear their thoughts no matter how much I try to block them out. So uh if you could please not get like overly happy or sad or angry or anything that would be awesome. I don't like not being able to block out other people's thoughts." She told him awkwardly.

Suddenly Bruce laughed and Britta jumped, shocked by his reaction. "You don't have to worry about that with me Britta." Bruce said reassuringly. He wondered if she had missed the part in his profile about the other guy coming out when his heart rate went up. She probably only thought it happened when he got mad, a common thought though completely wrong. Bruce smiled warmly at Britta, chuckling a little. "I'm probably the only person on this thing that you won't ever have to worry about not being able to tune out." He told her.

"Oh." Britta said, staring at him in surprise. She had never, _never_, met a mortal who wouldn't at some point get over emotional. Britta didn't want to admit it but after hearing this she kind of wanted to make him over emotional.

_**"He's kind of hot too."** _Nanna said. Grid started laughing again and Britta nodded slightly in agreement, blushing like mad. Bruce watched her, a curious eyebrow raised at her actions.

Britta noticed Banner's raised eyebrow and smiled. "Tell me Doctor Banner, can you hear the other guy talking to you?" Britta asked, her head cocked to the side slightly in curiosity.

Bruce smiled and shook his head. "No, the other guy isn't very good with words." He said. The other guy grunted and pushed on Bruce's control over him, wanting out so he could make up for his lack of words with actions. Bruce sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, tired. He was always tired. Tired of dealing with the other guy, tired of always tiptoeing around people, tired of being nervous. "He can make plenty of noises though that usually gets his point across. He grunted in annoyance when I told you that." Bruce explained.

"Lucky." Britta said, leaning against the table again. She noticed a stray lock of hair hanging down in the center of Bruce's forehead and she reached up, flicking it back into place. Bruce stared at her the entire time, once again shocked that she would so willingly touch him. "My girls like to talk, all the time. They argue a lot when they talk, mostly because they're exact opposites." Britta said once she had pulled away from Bruce. She had noticed his shock and she smiled somewhat sadly at him. Poor thing. Anyone that looked that shocked by contact must be starved for human touch.

"It must be hard. Having two voices inside your head, fighting to take over." Bruce said after a few minutes.

"Well mostly it's just Grid trying to take over, Nanna only does it when she's overly bored." Britta admitted, smiling at him. "Grid's pretty bad though. She's incredibly cruel and sadistic. She's already made up about seventeen different ways to kill you, none of which I care to repeat cause they're incredibly inventive and horribly disturbing." Britta winced as Grid suggested shoving the doctor's glasses down his throat. The suggestions made her want to throw up. Bruce looked at her with pity, trying to imagine what it must be like to have someone whispering homicidal ideas to you all the time. Britta smiled at him appreciatively before suddenly realizing that the past couple of hours had been the longest she'd been around the same people in a very long time. She never worked, whatever she needed she could conjure up, so she had no coworkers and not many people stuck around once they learned how insane she was. Britta briefly wondered if she was the one starved for contact instead of Bruce. She had been touching him an awful lot. Of course that might have just been because she knew he had basically the same problem as her. Yes that had to be it. Britta didn't need people and it was best if she stayed away from them. Which was why she took about a half step back, looking at Bruce apologetically. "You should get back to work." She told him sadly.

Bruce nodded, turning back to the screen where Britta's profile was still visible. He put it away to read a little bit more carefully later and started working again. He watched Britta slowly leave the room out of the corner of his eye and was surprised when he felt a little upset. He had enjoyed her company and had actually wanted to talk to her more. Bruce sighed and removed his glasses, cleaning them on his shirt. He knew he had to distance himself from her but he really didn't want to. She was the first person since his accident who wasn't afraid to put herself close to him, to talk to him about the other guy. Which meant Bruce had to push her away. Already, the thought of hurting her made him sick.

**Hi! So uh anyone reading this I'm having a bit of trouble deciding who to pair Britta up with. Cause you all know I have to be kind to my OC and give her a great superhero boyfriend. I'm like dead center between Steve and Bruce. I'd love to hear your opinions on the matter. Thanks for reading.**


	6. Found Him

No Real P.O.V

Steve watched Britta carefully. She was floating above their heads, having cast some sort of spell, sitting crisscross in the air. Occasionally she'd flip upside down and try hitting the agents with her braid, grinning when they'd swat her hair away and get hit in the face when it swung back. Steve watched her eyes carefully, intrigued by them even if their color was kind of freaking him out. There were three separate lights in her eyes, two of which probably belonging to the voices in her head while the one obviously belonged to her. Her light was cheerful and good natured while one of the others was crazed and excited. The other light was the complete opposite, seeming malicious and almost hungry. Like it wanted to do more than just annoy the agents.

"She's something." Coulson said, stepping up beside the Captain. He was watching Britta too, a small smile on his lips.

Steve nodded almost subconsciously, his focus pretty much entirely on Britta. She was the strangest woman he had ever met which actually wasn't saying much since he only knew a few women. Still, he knew there was no woman on earth that could compare to her. She was...well she was gorgeous. Once you noticed her you couldn't help but stare which was why Steve couldn't take his eyes off of her. He couldn't help but take in her every last detail, seeing a bit clearer than others since he was an artist. When Steve had first seen her he had thought she would be sophisticated, regal, but she kept proving him wrong every minute. She seemed opened and yet she was incredibly reserved. She seemed willing to be near others and yet afraid of them. To Steve, Britta was like a masterpiece that you couldn't classify. Was she beautiful or terrifying? Good or bad? Her actions kept contradicting each other. The knowledge about her connection to the Tesseract floated around in Steve's brain as he stared at her. If he mixed that knowledge with everything else he knew about her she became an enigma to him, someone he couldn't wrap his head around ever.

As he watched her Steve noticed Britta's cheeks getting progressively redder. "Uh Captain?" Britta said awkwardly, surprising him out of his thoughts. The girl floated across the room, flipped herself upright, and turned off her spell. She dropped down in front of him, landing gracefully on the ground. "Did I uh ever tell you that if someone's emotions get too intense I can't uh block out their thoughts?" Britta asked, rubbing at the back of her neck.

Steve looked at her in confusion. "No. Why?" He asked.

Britta blushed, grabbing her braid and pulling on it. "Well you see it doesn't matter what emotion it is. Happy, sad, angry, awed. No matter what it is if the emotion gets intense or the person gets over emotional I can't _not_ hear their thoughts." She told him. Britta stared at him, waiting for him to understand, but he obviously didn't get it. Phil did though and he smiled at her, chuckling a little. He turned away so Steve wouldn't see him trying to laugh while Britta's cheeks turned even redder. "Steve I just heard every single thought in your head." Britta explained quickly.

Immediately, Steve's face turned bright red. A few of the agents around them who had been watching the encounter laughed and began wondering out loud what they thought the Captain could have been thinking about. Of course that just made Britta and Steve blush even more as they stared awkwardly at each other. "I'm uh sorry er ma'am. I'll try not to uh...think." Steve said awkwardly, not really knowing what to say. Britta mumbled something along the lines of a thanks before leaping into the air and using yet another floating spell. She floated across the room at top speed, trying to get away from the awkwardness as much as possible.

Britta wasn't really embarrassed by Steve's thoughts. She was more or less ashamed that she had heard his thoughts when he had obviously not wanted her to know them. Still, Britta wanted to smile at least a little. He was so sweet and gentlemanly even in his head. Most guys usually had a pervy train of thought while they stared at her but not him. Of course that just made Britta hate herself more for ruining his life. Peggy would have been one lucky girl.

_**"Can I talk to him?"** _Nanna asked innocently. She sounded like it was just an innocent question, like it didn't matter and she wouldn't mind too much if Britta said no, but that was just an act.

_"No, you can't. I won't be having you freakin' him out with your hyperness and pervy personality." _Britta said firmly. Nanna immediately began giving off a childish pouty feel and Britta shook her head.

**_"Can I talk to him?"_ **Grid asked, giving off a pure evil feel.

Britta growled and shoved Grid even farther away from control. _"Don't even think about it." _Britta told her furiously. Grid growled at her but didn't say anything else. Britta smirked a little, glad she had silenced Grid, before flying over to Fury who had entered the room. She flipped upside down so that they were somewhat eye level. "Hey Patchy! What's going on?" She asked conversationally.

Fury glared up at her. "I don't think that's any of your concern." He told her. His tone warned her not to anger him but of course that just made Britta want to do just that.

The Halfling girl rolled her eyes at him and sighed dramatically, something he seemed to hate quite a bit because his glared intensified. "Oh please like I couldn't find out your secrets in five seconds." She said in exasperation. That angered him more and he was soon practically glowering at her. Britta winced as his thoughts started slowly coming to her then snorted when all she heard was a really annoying song. Fury was being smart, he wasn't thinking of the song so he wouldn't think about anything he didn't want her to know. If he wasn't such a jerk Britta might have complimented his intelligence. "And you could be a little more polite. A simple ma'am or a Miss Nodottir would be fine." She told him.

"Nodottir?" Fury asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

"It's the last name girls are given in Asgard when they have no father." Britta explained in a bored uncaring tone. Steve watched her carefully as she said that, trying to see if the lack of a father effected her. It didn't seem to though, Britta look perfectly nonchalant. Of course Britta wasn't known as the Goddess of Tricks for nothing. Emotional masks were lies but they were also tricks which made Britta an absolute master at seeing through them and using them. So the others saw what she wanted them to see, an uncaring girl, while inside she was trying to ignore the pain of growing up without so much as a father figure.

"Fine, Miss Nodottir. Kindly get out of the way and let the big kids work." Fury said, his tone stern and somewhat mocking. He sidestepped her and walked over to his personal little circle of screens where he could oversee the whole of the control room.

Britta floated after him and began circling him in a very annoying way. "Oooo the pirate's snarky. Very interesting." She said, grinning at him in a way she knew would annoy him. Fury shot her an annoyed look but otherwise didn't pay her any attention as she circled him. Britta started making faces at him as she spun around, making a few of the agents who noticed snicker. She smiled stunningly at them before rising up above Fury's head. She made sure her braid was hanging just above his head, brushing it, before spinning rapidly. She looked like a top spinning above Fury's head, the end of her braid being the point. There were a lot of laughs then and Fury glared at the agents around him, unable to glare at Britta since that would require looking up and getting hit with her braid. "Dear gods annoying you is fun." Britta said cheerfully as she spun. Suddenly though she stopped and threw herself to the floor behind Fury. Everyone watched her in amused confusion while she dramatically held her stomach. "Oh by the gods! Too much spinning! The room won't stop moving!" Britta shouted out dramatically. She placed a hand over her eyes and let out a too anguished to actually be anguished cry. "Oh the humanity! Someone, kill me now!" Britta jokingly begged.

Steve smiled a little. Britta was a piece of work, that was a definite. Steve wondered if she was doing all this because she was bored or because she really didn't like the Director. He had a feeling it was both. She seemed like the type of girl who hated boredom...and rules. The boredom Steve could understand but the not following rules thing made him frown. He didn't necessarily follow them either, he hadn't when Colonel Phillips told him to give up on Bucky, but he felt in this situation with a supposed god trying to take over the world it might be a good idea to listen to the man in charge. That man being Director Fury, at least at the moment. Of course Britta heard his thoughts. Whenever the super soldier looked at her he felt a torrent of emotions whether he knew it or not. Mostly it was confusion and it actually kind of pleased Britta that she was confusing. It meant her lies were holding up well. Britta smiled a little at the first set of his thoughts but as he began to belittle her for her hate of rules she frowned deeply. He did deserve to insult her, heck he deserved to _kill _her, but it still hurt. Britta was never good at taking insults.

_**"Hit him. Do it. I dare you."** _Grid said, sounding hungry for the violence.

Britta growled so furiously that anyone paying attention to her jumped. She placed a hand to her forehead and put on a false look of pain, making it seem like she had growled in pain at a headache. _"Wrong choice of words Grid. I don't do dares anymore, remember?" _Britta said calmly though she wanted to scream. Grid knew how much those three words hurt her. The witch had said them on purpose. Britta hated her for it and wished that she could kill her without killing herself.

There was a loud annoying beeping before an agent wearing glasses turned around in his seat and announced "We have a hit. Sixty seven percent match." Britta watched Fury turn to one of his screens and mess with a few things. Within seconds what was on the agent's screen appeared on Fury's and Britta was left marveling at Midgardian technology not for the first time in her long long life. "Weight, cross match, seventy nine percent." The agent continued, turning back to his computer.

Phil walked over to the agent and stared at the screen intently. "Location?" He asked curtly.

"Stuttgart Germany. Twenty eight, Konigstrasse." The agent said. Britta watched his screen carefully and when she saw Loki's face appear on the computer she sat up straight, staring at the image of Loki intensely. Physically he hadn't changed except for his hair being a centimeter or two longer but still there was something wrong with his image. Something that didn't seem like the Loki she knew. "He's not exactly hiding." The agent commented. Britta couldn't help but agree and she frowned, thinking that the Loki she knew would not reveal himself like that unless he had a plan.

"Captain." Fury said, catching Steve's attention. The super soldier spun around to face the Director who was looking at him solemnly. "You're up." He said simply. For a second Steve looked shocked, unsure, but then he nodded and his face slipped into an expression of determination.

As Steve walked towards the exit Britta shot to her feet. "Director Fury." Britta said, her tone making Steve stop at the door. Fury sighed in annoyance and turned to face her, giving her an impatient look. He gestured for her to go ahead and speak since she seemed to want him to tell her to go on. Britta did but only because she thought it might help her case if she started being a little polite to the one eyed man. "I want to go to Stuttgart with the Captain." She told him, her tone somewhere between "I'm going no matter what you say" and "please oh dear gods let me go willingly."

Everyone in the room stopped to stare at the alien girl. She didn't take any notice of them though as she stared at Fury, not wanting to break eye contact with him in case that somehow effected his choice. Everyone in the room was surprised by her "request" which of course meant Britta could hear their every thought. They thought she was insane, stupid, brave. A potential threat. Britta couldn't blame them for thinking that but it still hurt. She frowned slightly as she tried not to press her hand to her forehead in pain, another headache slowly beginning to form. There were so many people in the room and she couldn't block out their thoughts. Having two voices in her head was bad enough. Having close to fifty...ugh Britta felt like she might die.

"Why would I let Loki's childhood friend meet up with him?" Fury asked seriously.

Britta looked at him and knew he had a good point. "You shouldn't." She said truthfully, shocking everyone. Fury raised an eyebrow at her, telling her clearly that he had no idea how this was supposed to convince him. Britta sighed and grabbed her braid, pulling on it. "I'm not trustworthy. I used to live on Asgard and I grew up with the two gods who have come to Earth and wrecked stuff. In truth, I'm surprised you haven't tried to vainly force me off of your planet." She told him.

_**"Where are you going with this Britt?"** _Grid asked in confusion. The evil thing wanted to see Loki just as much as Britta, for darker reasons of course, and didn't want her screwing this up.

"But think about it, sir. I've been on Earth for two thousand years and not once have I purposely hurt someone or broken something other than a very terrible TV." Britta continued, presenting her argument. The voices in her head let out an "oh" as they realized what she was doing. Fury watched Britta carefully, replaying what she said in his head so she couldn't hear his actual thoughts. "I would never hurt a mortal. I would put my life willingly on the line for them, throw my body in front of theirs if it meant protecting them. I've watched your race progress, turn into something so much more than those on Asgard thought you would ever be. Why would I want this glorious planet, you wonderful mortals, taken over?" Britta asked the Director seriously. Still, Fury did not reply. Britta was starting to get annoyed with his silence but she didn't let it show. Her headache was turning into a migraine too and she wanted nothing more than to find a bottle of Advil and down the whole thing. "I want to go so that I can see the threat on this planet for my own eyes. I want to be able to confirm for myself that Loki has gone mad. If he has, if there really is a threat on this planet that I love, then I want to help stop him." Britta finished her speech and stared at the Director, her eyes shining with determination.

The room was unnaturally silent as Fury and Britta stared at each other. Steve watched the girl carefully and wondered if she had used any form of mind control on Fury. It didn't look like it though, Fury would have instantly said yes if she had. The girl _had_ said she didn't like controlling people's minds. Steve felt awful for thinking that she could be controlling Fury, she had never given him any reason to distrust her. The one thing she'd done that could make him distrust her had been a huge mistake that she clearly hated herself for making.

"Fine, you can go." Fury said after what felt like an hour. Britta let out a small astonished gasp before a huge thankful grin appeared on her face. "Wait here for Agent Romanoff. Captain, go." Fury said, turning back to his screens.

Britta turned to Steve, still grinning away. "You heard him Cap. Suit up!" She said excitedly before leaping into the air. She began flying around the room cheerfully, waiting for Agent Romanoff to show up. Steve shook his head before leaving the control room, wondering if the girl was really taking any of this seriously or if she was just playing a gigantic joke.

**So I'm still debating between Bruce and Steve. Like if I go with Bruce it'll be a connection of problems thing, solve our problems together thing while saving the world and trying to make the other come out of their shell kind of thing. If it's Steve it'll be a "I don't know if I can get past hurting you and taking you from Peggy but oh my feet I love you so much!" sort of thing mixed with them arguing over their differences but loving each other because of them. Both sound great to me, though I may make them sound bad through words, and I just can't decide! Ugh! And I know I've done Steve with Gypsy but this is Britta and she's a whole different OC (I treat my characters like real people) and her story has nothing to do with Gypsy's. Ugh, help me!**


	7. Stuttgart

**Had to tweak them getting to Germany a little, not a lot just a bit. You'll barely notice.**

"But I want to go down there with Cap!" Britta whined, stamping her foot like a child. Agent Romanoff rolled her eyes and Britta grinned wildly, glad she had annoyed the other woman. It had been five minutes since they dropped off the Captain and hid the jet in the darkness of the sky and yet the girl was still arguing, switching between whiny child and furious young woman. So far she hadn't tried being serious so that's exactly what she did now, putting on a deadly serious expression a second later though and making sure the Russian could see it. "I swore to put his life in front of mine. I need to be down there to make sure he doesn't die." Britta told her.

Agent Romanoff glanced back at Britta for a millisecond. Not many people swore to put another's life ahead of their own and the girl had already supposedly claimed to sacrifice her life for the entire human race. Or at least that's what a few of the other agents had told her through the comm link. Natasha wasn't entirely sure if she could believe that since the girl seemed to be constantly switching between insanity and sanity but there was a certain light in the girl's eyes now that said she was sincere. She really wanted to protect the Captain. Natasha knew why of course, Fury had included it in the file he had sent her. Still, she wasn't sure how Fury would react if she let the girl leave the jet.

"You're staying on the jet. End of discussion." Natasha said firmly. She looked at the monitor showing the front of the building below and saw everyone inside the building running out, screaming.

Britta's eyes immediately lit up with annoyance and anger. There were people down there in danger which meant the Captain was in danger too. Britta had sworn to protect him and on the way there she had formally sworn to protect everyone else too. She wasn't going to stay safe in the jet while others were in danger. "For you maybe." Britta said furiously. Shooting the redheaded woman an almost feral smile, Britta teleported down to the ground.

Natasha glanced back and immediately noticed the absence of the strange looking girl. "Der'mo." She mumbled, shaking her head in annoyance, before turning back to the screen. Loki was now standing in front of the now kneeling crowd, his arms outstretched as he spoke.

Britta appeared behind Loki, standing just in front of the marble columns in front of the building. She took a step forwards but then Loki's voice hit her and she froze. "It's the unspoken truth of humanity that you crave subjugation." Loki's voice was raised so everyone could hear him and yet it was still soft, smooth, silky. It was a voice Britta had grown up listening to, a voice that had comforted her in her worst moments, a voice she would recognize no matter what. And yet...it was somewhat changed. There was a dark underlying tone to it that she instantly hated. And the words that voice spoke...this was not the Loki she knew. "The bright lure of freedom diminishes your life's joy in a mad scramble for power. For identity." Britta shuddered. Loki sounded like he really truly believed that. He sounded like a tyrannical overlord and he hadn't even taken over the world yet. "You were made to be ruled. In the end, you will always kneel." Britta suddenly glared at that. Loki and her had always hated being told what to do and they had done whatever they could to break the rules. They never wanted to be in charge though, they liked breaking the rules. To hear Loki say such things was both heart breaking and anger inducing. What had happened to her friend to change him so much?

It took Britta minute or two to realize that an old man had stood up and was staring defiantly at Loki. "Not to men like you." The old man told the god.

Loki chuckled. "There are no men like me." He said, clearly amused. Britta couldn't see his face but she just knew he was smiling that amused slightly mocking smile of his. She had one just like it.

"There are always men like you." The old man replied.

"Look to your elder people." Loki said. He pointed his scepter at the old man and the blue gem at the end glowed. Britta could feel Tesseract energy coming from it and she knew what was going to happen. She started walking forward, slowly as if she was in a trance. "Let him be an example." Loki said. Britta started running then but it was too late. Loki shot a bolt of Tesseract magic at the old man and she screamed.

Steve dove out in front of the man and threw his shield in front of him, letting the Tesseract magic ricochet off the vibranium and hit Loki. Britta stopped, shocked. She hadn't even noticed the super soldier running towards the crowd. Her heart pounded against her chest as she stared at the hero slowly rising to his feet. He looked strong, confident, and powerful. Like he wasn't afraid of Loki. Like he thought he could take down the god with ease. Britta immediately focused her attention on the crowd, pushing into their already open minds and slowly making them get to their feet. Only a few did as she wanted, she couldn't control this many when she was so distracted. As she controlled them to stand Steve walked towards Loki, speaking. "You know the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else we ended up disagreeing." Britta smiled slightly at that though she couldn't focus to heavily on the Captain. She had to make the crowd stand if she was going to get them to run.

"The soldier." Loki almost snarled. His voice was gruff now and it sent a chill down Britta's spine. It was so dark, so unlike Loki. The god chuckled and got to his feet, grinning. Steve glared at him the entire time though he had to admit the grin unnerved him a little. It was too pleased, too crazed. "The man out of time." Loki mocked. Britta winced, another wave of guilt hitting her.

"I'm not the one whose out of time." Steve said calmly. The Quinjet then swooped down out of the black sky, making itself known. A machine gun of sorts popped out of the bottom of the jet and aimed itself at Loki.

"Loki drop the weapon and stand down." Agent Romanoff ordered over the jet's speakers. She had a no nonsense tone that Britta knew would have made the old Loki chuckle. Nonsense was his forte after all and to tell him not to use it was comical.

When Loki shot a blast of Tesseract energy Britta screamed again. The jet swerved out of the way at the last second and Captain America threw his shield, hitting Loki. Britta immediately pushed the minds of the crowd to run, to get the heck out of there, and since the idea was already in their heads they did as she told them. But then they started running in the wrong directions, getting too close to the fight Steve was in, and she had to concentrate to send them in the right directions. You could see her changing their minds clearly. One second they'd be running and then they'd violently stop and turn the other way. Britta pressed her hands to her forehead, screaming in pain as she listened to their frightened thoughts and influenced them to go somewhere else. Finally though everyone was out of the way. Britta dropped to her knees, the pain in her head too much to bear, and looked up at the two men fighting. Loki hit Steve in the back, sending the super solider flying. Britta opened her mouth to cry out but nothing came out, the pain in her head swallowing her voice.

Loki walked over and shoved Steve down with his scepter as the super soldier tried to get to his feet. "Kneel." The god growled.

_**"Things are getting intense. You should let me come out and play with them."** _Grid said, pushing me back as she aimed to take control. Nanna shoved her back and Britta did too, keeping the evil girl from making the situation worse.

Steve grabbed Loki's scepter and shoved it away, getting to his feet. "Not today!" He shouted, delivering a stunning kick to Loki's jaw. Britta let out a strangled laugh at the look of shock on Loki's face then screamed when pain shot from her head through the rest of her body, making her vision go black. When it cleared she thought she might be going delusional like she had once been. Shoot to Thrill was playing and it echoed around her.

Something hotrod red and gold sped towards the fighting men. White light shot from it and hit Loki, sending him flying back...right into Britta. She groaned in pain as her back slammed into the steps. Loki grunted in pain, obviously landing on her had been uncomfortable. Britta growled and flipped Loki off of her, slamming him into the steps beside her. He groaned in pain, his eyes closed. When he opened them and saw her his mouth fell open in a surprised little o. Britta nearly laughed, it was such an adorable little look, but then she noticed the barely visible ring of Tesseract blue around his eyes and scrambled backwards, instantly afraid of him.

"Britta?" Loki asked uncertainly. She didn't answer and he didn't get the chance to do anything as the thing that blasted him from the sky came walking over. It was a metal man. Iron Man.

Iron Man lifted his arms up, pointing one fist at Loki while he pointed his right repulsor at the god. A million different little weapons rose up out of Iron Man's suit, pointing directly at Loki. "Make your move, Reindeer Games." Iron Man said. Britta snorted in response, thinking that was actually a pretty good nickname considering Loki's helmet. Steve came up beside Iron Man, pulling his shield back onto his arm. He shot Britta an almost annoyed but somewhat concerned look as she sat on the ground, her fist pressed to her throbbing head. Loki held up his hands and his armor disappeared in a shimmering gold light. "Good move." Iron Man said, lowering his arms and putting away his weapons. Britta had a feeling though that if Loki tried anything Iron Man would be quick to stop him.

Britta glanced behind the two men and saw the jet slowly descending. Steve turned to Iron Man. "Mister Stark." He said politely, nodding. Britta nearly facepalmed for being so stupid. The profile had said Tony Stark was Iron Man, she should have pieced it together.

"Captain." Tony said, barely nodding. Britta smiled slightly at his informal greeting. The internationally known superhero looked down at Britta and she could feel him smiling. "So you're the alien girl huh? Gotta admit, you're not as bad looking as you could be. You ever see the movie Alien? You could look like that monster thing." He told her.

Britta chuckled, getting to her feet. "I have seen that movie. Did you know it's based off of true creatures?" She asked him, smiling. Tony shook his head and she knew his eyebrows must be raised in surprise. "Truly, we have them on Asgard. We use them as guard dogs of sorts." Britta told him, nodding seriously.

Tony stared at her a minute. "Really?" He asked, his tone somewhere between "I don't believe you" and "if that's true I want to see."

Britta let out a loud laugh, shaking her head. "Heck no! We'd all be dead if those things were real!" She told him. Tony laughed and shook his head, obviously amused. Britta grinned wildly before turning to Loki. Her smile became a mix of "I've missed you so much" and "what in Hel is wrong with you?" Loki stared at her, surprise dancing in his eyes. "Hey Lo, did you miss me?" She asked playfully, masking her disgust with jokes.

Loki chuckled darkly, staring up at her. Britta wanted to scream and run, hating seeing the Tesseract blue around his eyes, but she stood firm and kept grinning. "Of course Britt. You were my best friend after all." Loki told her, a bitter note in his voice that only she noticed. He was mad at her and Britta understood completely why he was. She'd left him, pretty much abandoned him, on Asgard and now she was seeing him for the first time in two thousand years and she was on the side of the guys trying to beat him. He had perfectly valid reasons to be mad at him. "Still hearing voices in your head?" Loki asked. Britta winced slightly, that was a low blow. That meant he was furious, beyond furious actually. And incredibly hurt.

"Still refusing to cut your hair? Princess." Britta responded, the slightest growl to her voice that only Loki heard. His eyes narrowed in anger at the nickname though the corners of his lips twitched up ever so slightly. It was clear he had missed her as much as she had missed him. Britta grinned wildly at her old friend but there was a sad light in her eyes that didn't go unnoticed by any of the men watching her. She hated the change that had overcome Loki. "Okay so I can't resist telling you this, Lo." Britta said. Loki narrowed his eyes in suspicion as she crouched down in front of him, a playful mocking light in her eyes. "You just made an entire speech to Germans in _English_."

Everyone was silent for a minute as realization dawned on Loki. He let out a small sigh as he silently called himself an idiot. Immediately Britta and Tony started laughing at Loki's stupidity while Steve shook his head, trying not to laugh as well. Loki glared at them but mostly at Britta, giving her an "I can't believe you embarrassed me like that" look. Britta just laughed harder, wiping tears from her eyes. She couldn't bring herself to feel awful for embarrassing Loki. After all, this wasn't the Loki she would only insult playfully. This was a Loki she didn't know and she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to know.

_**"Don't deny it, you missed him."**_Grid said.

_"No duh I missed him. I just kind of hate him right now." _Britta said, the sad light returning to her eyes.

_**"Stop upsetting her Grid."** _Nanna said angrily.

Britta shook her head, getting to her feet. The jet had landed and Agent Romanoff was standing near the front of the jet, gesturing for them to bring the god onboard. Knowing it would be a bad idea, Britta conjured up a dog collar around Loki's throat with a leash attached. She picked up the leash and grinned at the absolute furious look Loki was giving her. "Don't give me that look, Lo. You're a prisoner, Princess, and you are going to be treated like one." She told him. Britta tugged on the leash, hard, and he stumbled forward with a growl. "Come on you complete and total ass." She said, walking towards the jet.

The two superheroes followed her, one shaking his head while the other grinned. "She's fun. I like her." Tony said cheerfully. Steve shook his head again, disapproval radiating off of him.


	8. Thor's Arrival

Loki was watching Britta carefully while the girl tried to ignore it. She was sitting on the jet floor, drawing with markers she had conjured up. There was no paper so she was drawing on the floor itself, making a grand masterpiece that she would regret having to clean up later. It was a very lovely picture of an Asgardian garden, one her and Loki had played in as kids. Thor would join them most of the time and they'd hold small playful battles, their young minds turning the garden into a great tropical forest. Britta smiled sadly at the memories swirling through her head, missing the simpler times when she could easily call Loki her best friend.

"Very pretty Alien." Tony said sincerely, smiling at her. His facemask was up and now Britta could see the face she had only ever seen on TV. Britta could very truthfully say that the camera didn't do him enough justice. He was much more attractive in person and the TV didn't do a very good job of showing the obvious mischievous light in his eyes when he smiled. It also didn't do a very good job of showing just how many masks the billionaire wore. Britta almost looked at him in pity as she saw through his masks to the distrusting, sad, hanging on by a loose thread man beneath.

"Alien? Is that my nickname now Metal Man?" Britta asked, smiling up at him. Tony nodded seriously, smiling at the nickname she'd given him. Britta laughed and shook her head, turning back to her picture. "Thank you by the way. It's a garden in Asgard I used to play in with my brothers." She said. Her eyes flickered up to Loki for the briefest second but Tony noticed it. He looked over at Loki and saw him staring fixedly at the girl. Fury had sent him Britta's profile while he flew to Germany and he'd carefully read the very vague profile. There'd been nothing on her character and there'd been a few things that had raised questions that the profile didn't answer. There was basically no description of the voices in her head and Tony was sure there was more to her Tesseract story than the profile had included. There'd been parts of her account cut out that Tony was sure had something to do with how she'd gotten the voices in her head.

"Your warriors must be pretty wimpy if they come from such a pretty place." Tony said jokingly, just to see how the girl would react.

Britta didn't look up at him as she added the shadow beneath a flower. "Says the man in a brightly colored shiny suit with pretty boy hair." She said, smirking a little.

Tony reached down and ruffled Britta's hair, having to be gentle since he was still wearing his suit. Britta scrunched her nose up at him but smiled, remembering how Thor used to do the same thing to annoy her. She looked up at him for a second, smiling, then turned back to her drawing. Tony smiled and walked over to the Captain, taking notice of the distrusting angry look Loki gave him. Tony wondered if that was because they'd captured him or if he didn't want the billionaire near Britta. Possibly the latter if Britta was calling him her brother. Tony stood besides the super soldier and switched between looking at Loki and looking at Britta. He wasn't one to get in other people's business, preferring to deal with his problems only, but he kind of felt like telling Loki to stop glaring at the girl. It was clearly upsetting her and her hurt expression made her look like a little kid.

Steve glanced over at Loki, completely oblivious to the glare Loki was giving Britta. "I don't like it." Steve grumbled.

"What? Rock of Ages giving up so easily?" Tony asked knowingly, not looking at the soldier. Britta snorted while Loki glared, not understanding the nickname but guessing it was insulting from Britta's snort. Tony shot her a smile that she seemed to easily return.

"I don't remember it being that easy." Steve said, barely looking over at Tony. Britta pressed a hand to her head as their thoughts reached her. Tony had a bit of a thing against Steve, something to do with his father always comparing him to the great Steve Rogers, but he was willing to be somewhat kind to the other man since he wasn't a self pitying kind of guy. Steve was already silently comparing Tony to Howard and thinking that the younger Stark was kind of a disappointment. Steve wanted Tony to be like Howard, needed him to be like Howard so that he'd have something, anything, that was like his old life. Britta ducked her head in shame, thinking he wouldn't have to compare Tony to Howard if she hadn't ruined his life. "This guy packs a wallop." Steve said, glancing over at the god.

Britta looked up at Loki and very nearly smiled. Back in the good old days she'd congratulate him and tell him he was getting as strong as Thor, something he'd secretly love to hear but would never admit to. Now she couldn't tell him that. Now she had to smirk at him and have an "oh yeah, sure" look on her face. Loki glared at her and she ducked her head, not wanting him to see just how much that glare hurt her. It wasn't a look she liked on her best friend's face especially when it was directed at her.

"Still you are pretty spry for an older fellow." Tony said, sounding serious. Britta smirked, getting his need to joke completely. Jokes helped you cope with feelings, things Tony didn't seem to get along with, and they were wonderful defense mechanisms. So was sarcasm. Wonderful wonderful sarcasm. "What's your thing, Pilates?" Tony asked, looking at the super soldier. Britta chuckled and shook her head, Tony was strange.

"What?" Steve asked, his tone more annoyed than confused. He didn't think this was the moment to make jokes. Not when they had a madman trying to take over the world sitting just a few feet from them in creepy silence.

"It's like calisthenics. You might have missed a few things, you know," Tony looked over at Britta who was watching him carefully then back at Steve, "doing time as a Capsicle."

The nickname would have been funny if it wasn't such a low blow. To both Steve and Britta. The girl was sure Tony didn't know just how much that hurt her but it still hurt. Steve stared at Tony, glaring and then not glaring at the same time as he tried to keep a calm expression. Britta heard him think that Tony was nothing like Howard and she frowned slightly, thinking of everything she knew about the deceased Stark. She had been to the Stark Expo, had seen the genius on stage, and had even met Howard for a few minutes. He'd been a world-class perv. And arrogant. And showy. And _annoying_. Britta knew Tony had once been the same way but she knew he'd changed. She could feel the pain he'd gone through and the changes he'd made to himself. Britta wanted to know what had caused the pain and what exactly those changes had been but she didn't want to look through his head without permission. Learning all of Steve's mind had been an accident, a slip up of an emotional mind. He hadn't gotten mad about it but Britta had a feeling Tony would be different. He wouldn't like having his whole mind known without his permission. Anyways, thinking back to how Howard was Britta couldn't help but think it was a good thing Tony wasn't like him.

"Fury didn't tell me he was calling you in." Steve said, flatly.

Tony chuckled a little, looking over at Loki who took no notice of him. "Yeah, there's a lot of things Fury doesn't tell you." He said. He looked back at the super soldier and gave him a pointed look.

So suddenly that Britta jumped, thunder sounded off and lightning flashed in the sky. She stared out the window in surprise while a look of worry appeared on Loki's face. He leaned forward in his seat and tilted his head slightly, as if he was listening. Britta copied him, trying to hear the telltale signs of Thor. Steve and Tony, who had been looking around in confusion, noticed them. Steve focused on Loki while Tony stared at Britta emotionlessly. Britta was surprised to hear him ask him in his head if she was alright. Britta shook her head, looking over at Loki.

"What's the matter? Afraid of a little lightning." Steve asked, sounding a little mocking. Britta glanced over at the super soldier, thinking it was kind of cruel to mock someone for their fears.

"I'm not overly fond of what follows." Loki said vaguely, looking upwards. He then looked down at Britta who was staring at him intently. Loki scrunched his eyebrows together slightly, a little signal they had come up with once her sanity was intact to tell her she could enter his thoughts. Britta did so but stayed just inside his head, ready to pull back at any second. She didn't want to go deep into his thoughts, afraid of finding madness that would leave her heart broken. _"You know who it is?" _He thought to her.

Britta twitched her eyes slightly, stopping herself from rolling her eyes just a second too late. _"Yeah, it's Hel's pretty pink unicorn all the way from Niflheim."_ She sent to his head. Surprisingly Loki smiled and it wasn't crazed or dark. It was his old smile, the one she loved and returned. Their smiles didn't last long though when there was a loud thud on the roof of the jet and they both jumped, her out of surprise and him out of surprise and a tad bit of fear. Britta retreated backwards, pressing her back to the jet wall, and tugged on her braid as she stared upwards.

Tony pressed a button and the back half of the jet opened, revealing the storm cloud filled sky. "What are you doing?!" Steve shouted. Britta shook her head, unable to stop herself from thinking that Iron Man really shouldn't have done that. It would just make it so much easier for Thor to get into the jet. Britta was right too as Thor landed on the now open backside of the jet, Mjolnir in his hand. Loki stared at his brother with a bit of fear while Britta grinned wildly, overjoyed to see her used to be brother after so many years. Thor started walking into the jet and Tony seemed to instantly decide he was a threat, probably because he knew Loki was Thor's brother and thought maybe the golden haired warrior was trying to free Loki. Tony lifted up his hand, preparing to blast Thor with his repulsor, but Thor hit him in the stomach with Mjolnir. Tony went flying backwards and hit the floor with a loud thud.

Without even glancing at the others in the jet, Thor walked over to Loki and ripped him out of the straps keeping him seated. Thor grabbed his brother by the throat before dragging him towards the back of the jet. Loki gave Britta one last look before Thor flew out of the jet, flying straight towards the ground. Britta stared after them with a mixture of shock and happiness. For a second her boys, her two greatest friends, her brothers, had been in the same place as her once again. Then one brother grabbed the other by the throat and then they were gone. Britta slowly got to her feet as Tony got to his.

"And now there's that guy." Tony mumbled, just barely audible over the noise of the storm outside.

"Another Asgardian?!" Natasha shouted, looking back at them.

Tony looked over at Britta and saw the smile spread across her face. For a second Tony wondered if she was glad Loki had been taken but then he realized by the shocked light in her eyes that that wasn't the case. Steve didn't seem to notice though. "Think that guy's a friendly?!" The super soldier asked.

"Doesn't matter." Tony said, turning away from Britta to look at Steve. He wasn't about to draw attention to the girl just in case the others in the jet didn't notice the shock and started treating her as a potential threat. "If he frees Loki or kills him the Tesseract's lost." Having said that, Tony turned around and headed to the back of the jet.

"Stark! We need a plan of attack." Steve said, staring after the infamous Iron Man. Britta rolled her eyes, knowing that the idea of stopping and making up a plan was stupid. They didn't have time for that.

"I have a plan." Tony answered and Britta grinned wildly, knowing where he was going with this. "Attack." The billionaire said before leaping out of the jet.

Britta smiled after Tony. Now that was definitely someone she could get along with. She started walking towards the back of the jet, intent on following the boys, but Steve stopped her by grabbing her arm. Britta turned to face him, glaring slightly at how tightly he was holding onto her arm. "You're not going down there." The super soldier said firmly.

Britta's glare intensified. "Of course I am." She said in a scarily cheerful voice. This was not the forties. Women, not just Peggy, were tough and willing to enter battle. And Britta was thousands and thousands of years older than Steve and had seen many more battles than him. Britta yanked her arm out of his grip and grinned at him in a way that made him flinch back. She had sworn to protect him but that didn't mean she was going to let him boss her around. "After all, those are my best friends down there." Britta said cheerfully. With a cheeky grin directed at Agent Romanoff, Britta threw herself out of the jet and cast a spell to give herself temporary flight. She waved cheerfully to Steve before taking off towards her old friends.

"That woman." Steve grumbled in anger, shaking his head. He walked over to the parachutes sitting on a shelf and grabbed one, thinking that there was no way he was going to let everyone else fight while he stayed on the jet.

Natasha glanced back at Steve, pulling a lever as she did. "I'd sit this one out Cap." She told him, pressing a few buttons overhead.

Steve didn't look up at her, too focused on trying to strap on the parachute. "I don't see how I can." He answered.

"These guys come from legend, they're basically gods." Natasha argued, looking back at him with a serious expression on her face. She had stopped pressing buttons for a second, probably to show Steve just how serious she was about him staying on the jet. A slight bit of irritation appeared on her face when he just tugged the parachute's straps tighter around him.

"There's only one God ma'am," Steve grabbed his shield, "and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that." With that the Captain turned around and walked to the back of the jet. Without a backward glance he dived out of the jet, heading straight down to join the idiots who had left the jet before him.

**You know a thought occurred to me a little bit ago. Britta's got voices in her head. So like what if one of the guys, I don't know who, ended up liking one of them? Probably Nanna since Grid wants to kill all of them...Stupid Grid. Anyways, chocolate for all my readers!**


	9. A Boy Fight

Britta landed on the mountain just a few seconds after Tony knocked Thor off of it, just in time to catch Loki's mocking "I'm listening." Britta, having heard Thor, had to stop herself from laughing as she landed gracefully in front of Loki. A smile threatened to appear on Loki's face but he quickly stopped it, obviously not wanting her to think he was pleased to see her. Britta let herself smile then but her smile was sad, heart broken. It told him she was glad to see him, overjoyed in fact, but hurt by the changes in him. She didn't like the changes, she hated them in fact. That was painfully clear to Loki.

"You think me a fool." Loki said, glaring at her.

Britta let out a sad laugh and shook her head. "I will never think of you as a fool, my friend. I will only ever see your actions as foolish and your mind corrupted." She told him truthfully.

Loki stared at her, wanting to snap at her for saying his mind was corrupted but unable to. It was what Britta thought and she hadn't meant it as an insult. She meant that any supposedly bad decisions he made she would blame on a corrupted mind. If he allowed himself to hope he would even say she hadn't specifically said anything about his mind being corrupted right now. Then again this was Britta, the girl he'd known since they were babies, and she would not find his actions here on Midgard as good. She was also probably waiting for the right moment to yell and scream at him for using the Tesseract. "So you still consider me a friend?" Loki finally asked.

Britta snorted and Loki smirked. It had been many years since he heard that snort, Britta's version of a short laugh. "Well I'm friends with the Loki I remember. If there's any trace of him in you I guess I'm your friend too." She told him.

"I will admit I have changed but not for the worse." Loki said, nodding. He walked over to the edge of the edge of the cliff and stared down at his "brother" and Iron Man. "I have seen truth, Britta. I have seen_ power_. You kept out much when you told me of the Tesseract's effect on you." Loki told her without looking over. Had he looked over he would have seen the absolute shock and pain on Britta's face.

"_Truth_? _Power_?" Britta questioned, stalking towards Loki with balled up fists. Her voice was low, something Loki knew spelled danger. There was a slight growl to it too, something Loki didn't hear often in her voice. The growling had come with her incident with the Tesseract, a side effect of her "madness" like the voices in her head. Loki did not think that had been madness now. Now he thought she had known the truth and had been tricked by the healers into thinking it was lies. "Do you not hear what you say?! Do you not remember all that I told you?! All that I confided solely in you?!" Britta shouted.

Loki did not turn around. He just stared at the two men bellow, wondering what Shakespeare in the park was. Britta heard Tony say "Doth mother know you weareth her drapes?" She laughed despite her anger and Loki looked over at her quizzically like he used to when she knew something he didn't and needed an explanation. Britta smirked smugly at him, loving having knowledge this evil Loki didn't have, but then she frowned. That look was familiar and it _hurt_.

_**"You are such a baby. Man up you pathetic waste of matter."** _Grid said furiously.

_"Will you shut up? I'm mad enough already." _Britta answered, taking a few steps forward so that she was standing directly beside Loki. She watched the men beneath them but grabbed Loki's arm in a death grip, making sure he didn't run off while she watched. "We will continue this discussion later. Until then we will watch how dearest Thor deals with the Man of Iron." She told her old friend. Two seconds later she realized how easily she had slipped into the Asgardian speaking fashion after so many years of using the Midgardian style. Had she missed the old ways that much? Or was it just instinct to slip into the speech she had grown up using?

Britta focused on the discussion between the two men just in time to hear Thor call Tony "Metal Man." She gasped in mock horror at the theft of her nickname for Iron Man and Loki chuckled a little, amused by her dramatics. Britta shot him a smile, remembered she was supposed to hate him, and frowned again as she refocused on the two men. She'd missed whatever else Thor had said but Tony was speaking now. "He gives up the cube he's all yours. Until then, stay out of my way." Tony told the god. The billionaire turned and started walking away while Thor looked at the ground, clearly mad. "Tourist." Tony mumbled as he walked away.

Thor threw his hammer, yelling as he did. Tony turned just in time to get hit in the chest by the flying weapon and he flew backwards, going straight through a tree. Britta shook her head. "Dear gods. Thor do you know nothing but fighting?" She asked though she knew he wouldn't hear. She felt Loki move and she looked over at him in confusion. He was trying to sit down, to get comfortable as he watched the oncoming fight. Britta consented and sat down beside him, keeping a firm grip on his arm. Thor summoned Mjolnir back and Britta saw Loki grin out of the corner of her eye. He'd always found Thor's fights entertaining so long as he wasn't dragged into them.

Thor started swinging Mjolnir as Tony got up. Without warning Tony hit Thor with a blast from his repulsor, sending the god straight back into a tree. Tony shot into the air and flew over, kicking Thor in the chest as he landed. Thor went straight through the tree, making the two men even. Of course that didn't mean they were going to stop fighting. Put two temperamental men together in a fight and it'll last until one of them dies or someone steps in. Britta sighed as Thor summoned his hammer back into his hand, thinking that _of course_ it had to be Thor who continued the fight. There was a clap of thunder and Thor stood, raised Mjolnir to the sky. A bolt of lightning shot down and attached itself to the hammer. Thor watched it, letting it build up power. Britta shook her head, thinking that Thor wouldn't possibly hit a mortal with lightning.

Of course her dear friend just had to prove her wrong.

When the lightning hit Tony he didn't fall back like when he was hit with the hammer but he was pushed back slightly. Britta sighed with relief when she felt that Tony wasn't being electrocuted to death. From here she couldn't read his thoughts but their general feel was still pickupable from this distance. When Thor suddenly stopped the lightning she heard Tony grunt, obviously displeased. Britta wondered if Thor had realized the lightning wouldn't work on Tony or if he finally realized that he was hitting a mortal with the dangerous bolts. She hoped it was the latter but she had a feeling it was the former. Thor didn't know about Tony or Midgardian technology after all. He might really think the suit was attached to Tony. Britta felt surprise and smugness come from Iron Man and she grinned, knowing something must have happened to please him. She gasped when he blasted Thor with both repulsors and his arc reactor, sending the god flying backwards. Thor, surprisingly, landed on his feet. Britta flinched back as the two men stared at each other, both in fighting positions. They were radiating a _lot_ of anger.

The two men flew at each other and slammed into each other in midair. Tony was a better flyer though and he pushed Thor back through the air, sending them flying towards a mountain. They slammed into the mountain and the two Asgardians watching saw nothing but the light coming off of Tony's repulsors. For a minute that's all the two men were and then they were flying back towards them. They crashed not far from their original spot and started fist fighting, a somewhat refreshing change from the weapons. Britta watched the fight carefully, leaning forward so that she could see it just a bit closer. She saw Thor squeeze Tony's arm until the metal started bending inwards and she saw Tony blast Thor's face in retaliation. Unfortunately with the gauntlet damaged the repulsor didn't put out enough energy to blast Thor away. It just put out enough to annoy the god. Tony, not liking how unimpressive the blast had been, headbutted Thor. The golden haired warrior stared at him for a second, surprised, then headbutted Tony right back. Iron Man went flying but managed to land in a kneel, sliding back a bit. Tony immediately flew back to Thor and grabbed the god by his arm and cap. He spun him slightly before throwing him the way other people threw trash bags. Thor's back slammed into the bottom of a broken tree, a tree _they_ broke, and fell to the ground. He got to his feet, looking royally peeved, and rushed at Tony who instantly threw a punch. Thor punched Tony in the back when the Man of Iron missed, taking advantage of the exposed back.

"Oh dear gods. They're going to kill each other." Britta whispered, staring at the fighting men with worry.

Loki scoffed. "Do not worry about them Britt. I think both can handle themselves." He told her. Britta nodded but bit her lip, still worried. When Thor slammed Tony onto the ground she winced, hearing the grunt Tony let out all the way up on the cliff.

Thor summoned his hammer and swung down, aiming to hit Tony in the stomach and hard. Britta opened her mouth to scream but then Tony blasted himself between Thor's legs and out of the way of the falling hammer. Thor crashed to the ground when Mjolnir hit nothing but air and Britta couldn't help smiling in a "you totally deserved that" way. He did after all. He'd been about to hit a _mortal_ with Mjolnir. Did Thor seriously not realize how delicate Midgardians were? They couldn't handle getting hit with godly weapons! The golden haired warrior started to get up but Tony stopped him by flying over and slamming his fist into Thor's jaw. Thor shot to his feet, aiming to hit Tony. Tony pulled his fist back, preparing to deliver a hit of his own.

"Hey!" Steve's shield came flying out of nowhere and hit the two men, catching their attention and stopping the fight. Only then did Britta and Loki notice that Steve had managed to find his way to the fighting. They watched him catch his shield and attach it to his arm, shouting "That's enough!" as if he was dealing with tantrum throwing children. Steve glared at them as he jumped off the edge of the broken tree. Britta smiled slightly as he landed easily on the ground below, something that didn't go unnoticed by Loki. His eyes narrowed dangerously as he wondered what connection she had to the soldier. "Now I don't know what you plan on doing here." Steve said, staring solely at Thor.

"I've come here to put an end to Loki's schemes!" Thor said, sounding furious but not as much as he would be if he was speaking to Tony.

"Then prove it." Steve answered immediately. Britta stared at him, wondering how he could manage such a calm yet powerful tone in such a dangerous situation. "Put that hammer down."

Britta winced, facepalming as she did. That was the worst thing, the _very worst thing_, you could tell a fighting brained Thor. "Um, yeah, no! Bad call!" Tony said, voicing Britta's thoughts. She peeked out from between her fingers and watched in worry. "He loves his-!" The genius was cut off when Thor backhanded Tony with Mjolnir, sending him flying back.

"You want me to put the hammer down?!" Thor shouted, his face filled with fury. Britta tightened her grip on Loki's arm and watched as Thor leapt into the air, raising Mjolnir as he flew at the Captain.

"THOR NO!" Britta screamed as Steve instinctively put up his shield, knowing what would happen. The hammer slammed into the vibranium shield nonetheless and her scream was swallowed as the impact sent out a massive shockwave and a brilliant blinding blue light. Loki instinctively placed a hand over Britta's eyes as he shut his own. She had once been his best friend. Protecting her was instinctual.

When Loki finally opened his eyes and dropped his hand so Britta could look too, the light was gone and the shockwave had died about a mile from its original point. The three men were getting to their feet after being blasted to the ground by the shockwave. They looked around at the damage they'd done, at the part of the forest they'd leveled, in tired surprise, all breathing heavily. Steve looked up at Thor, looking mad but not very. "Are we done here?" He asked gruffly. He sounded like he was ready for another fight but it was clear he wasn't in the best condition for one. Tony looked over at Thor and the god looked back. Finally Thor nodded, looking at the ground in what could have been shame if he wasn't so tired and still a bit angry.

Britta got to her feet, pulling Loki up with her. "Come on." She told him before leaping off the cliff. She cast another temporary flying spell and flew them over to the three men, landing directly in front of Thor. She threw Loki over to Tony who instantly grabbed him by the back of his clothes, lifting up slightly. It was like Loki was a bad kitty Tony was holding by the scruff of the neck. Britta would have laughed if she hadn't focused all her attention on Thor. "Thor Odinson." She said calmly, staring up at him.

Thor stared at her in shock for a minute before a huge smile appeared on his face. "Britta!" He said excitedly, taking a step forward with his arms out. He wanted a hug and Britta would gladly give him one but only after she chewed him out.

"Look at what you did!" Britta shouted, gesturing wildly to the damaged trees around them. Thor took a step back in shock and stared at her, eyes wide. "You _leveled_ a whole section of a forest! What did the poor trees ever do to you?!" She asked him furiously, trying hard not to smile. Thor's lips suddenly twitched upwards as he realized what she was doing. She was chewing him out and joking at the same time. Good old Britta. "And you hit _mortals_ with Mjolnir! You know you could have killed them right?! They! Are! _Delicate_! Thor!"

"I am not delicate." Tony grumbled which made Britta smirk and Thor laugh. Of course a delicate Midgardian would say they weren't delicate.

"Thor Odinson you are apologizing right now." Britta said seriously, staring up at Thor with pure determination in her eyes. She was going to make Thor apologize whether he wanted to or not. The God of Thunder knew that too and he sighed, remembering several other times Britta had made him be kind or stop doing something. He had tried arguing with her during a lot of those times but it had never ended well. Still, he shook his head. Immediately, Britta slammed her fists into Thor's chest, sending him stumbling back a few feet. It was just a gentle shove really though she couldn't have done much better if she shoved him at full force. Still, she was an Asgardian. She could pack a wallop if she wanted. "Do you think you can get around this Thor? No, you shall apologize or I shall fight you myself." Britta told him, not even joking a little.

Thor sighed and turned to the two men he'd fought. He knew she actually would fight him but he didn't have the heart to hit back after seeing her after so many years. "My apologizes Man of Iron and shield carrier. I should not have used a god's weapon on mortals." Thor said, not sounding too sincere but enough so that Britta smiled. Thor ignored his brother's amused smirk as he turned back to Britta. "Are you happy now Lady Britta?" He asked her, smiling slightly.

Britta grinned wildly. "When did you become so formal with someone as beloved as me?" She teased him before practically tackling him. She wrapped her arms around his neck and Thor wrapped his around her waist, lifting her up off the ground. Britta laughed as she buried her face in his neck and thick golden hair, squeezing Thor even tighter. "You have no idea how much I missed you." She told him, tearing up a little. It had been so long since she'd seen him. She hadn't even told him goodbye, not really. He was her brother, her his sister. Being apart so long had been torture. Like having a part of themselves ripped away. Britta didn't know any other family besides Thor and Loki so they meant more to her than just normal brothers while Thor had no sisters besides her and had always been a man who put his family first. It built a very strong bond between them that Britta was beyond joyed had remained intact even after two thousand years of no contact.

Steve cleared his throat, feeling bad for it because obviously the two were sharing an intimate moment. He didn't know what type of intimacy it was though he had to admit he was curious. The two Asgardians looked over at him, still not releasing each other. "We have to get Loki back to base. You know, so we can interrogate him." Steve said awkwardly.

Reluctantly the siblings broke apart. It was annoying to have their reunion cut short but also incredibly sad that it had been their brother who was responsible for it. They glanced at each other sadly, knowing the other's thoughts, before turning back to the Captain and nodding. They glanced at Loki to see him staring at them jealously, almost murderously. They both sighed, knowing that the trip back to base would be awkward.


	10. Ruined Moments

Tony found the jet and showed Natasha where to land. Steve, Britta, and Loki all climbed onto the jet but Thor and Tony decided to fly on either side of the jet in case anything attacked, like guard dogs. Natasha shot Britta and Steve almost murderous looks when they got on the jet, clearly angry that they'd dived out the back of the jet without permission. Britta ignored the glare and went back to drawing while Steve stood in the corner, quietly fuming. Loki sat in his seat looking a little more ticked than last time but otherwise the same. It was almost like before Thor had taken Loki, minus Stark and with added tension. Britta pressed her fists to her forehead after a while, trying to suppress the headache that was forming due to the three angry heads on the jet sending her thoughts. It didn't really work, not really. She could never stop her headaches without a _lot_ of Midgardian pills.

The Helicarrier was in the water when they arrived so that when they landed a team of S.H.I.E.L.D agents came running out without fear of dying from lack of air. They handcuffed Loki's hands behind his back and led him inside. Watching them go, Britta couldn't help thinking the team looked something like a Swat team but more heavily padded. They wouldn't survive a blow from Thor or Mjolnir but they wouldn't get too horribly damaged by a hit from Loki. Of course their getups would do nothing to protect them from Tesseract energy but Loki didn't have his scepter. Britta did. Fury sent a message to her through one of the agents that she could deliver the scepter since she was already "damaged" by magic so it wouldn't hurt her too much if the scepter did anything in her hold. Britta had a feeling it was a test of sorts to see if she'd switch sides with power in her hands. A risky move but probably a necessary one in Fury's eyes. Britta glared at the agent who gave her the message before grabbing the scepter where it was tucked safely away in the jet where Loki couldn't grab it. Everyone watched her carefully as she held it in her hands, looking at it. Britta could feel the Tesseract energy pulsing through the scepter and practically radiating off of the gem. She wanted to throw the scepter away and get as far from it as possible but she didn't. Instead, she thanked the agent for the message and walked to inside. Once in she teleported to Doctor Banner's lab, placing the scepter gently on a table not heavily covered by anything.

"What's that?" Doctor Banner asked curiously, walking over.

Britta took several steps away from the scepter, staring at it in disgust and hate. "Loki's scepter. It's connected to the Tesseract through the gem but I think S.H.I.E.L.D wants to hear that from you, not me, so they sent it here." She explained. Bruce nodded and gingerly placed the scepter on two clear stands, placing it a few feet off the table. Britta watched him carefully. "You look a little more stressed than earlier Doctor. What's happened?" She asked, letting a bit of her worry be heard in her voice.

Bruce looked up at Britta, surprised by the worry in her voice. She really was surprising him a lot and they'd only known each other for a few hours. It was an impressive feat to say the least. Bruce decided to be truthful with her since she really did seemed concerned for him. "Loki just walked by. He smiled at me." Bruce told her.

"Ah." Britta said, nodding a little. She sat down on a nearby stool and smiled at the doctor. "I'm guessing the smile was wild, crazed, and overly pleased." She said, a knowing look in her eyes.

"Did you read my mind?" Bruce asked her seriously though he was smiling a little.

Britta shook her head and grinned. "No, I just grew up with him. That's the smile he gives people to freak them out." She told him. Bruce chuckled a little and went back to peering interestedly at the scepter. Britta watched him, studying his face in the same scientific way he stared at the scepter. She wanted to see how he'd react to her next words. "Doctor, I will never read your mind unless you give me permission." She told him, her words ringing with sincerity.

Bruce stopped staring at the scepter so that he could turn and look at her. All playfulness had disappeared from her face and was replaced with truth and seriousness. Surprisingly, her serious frown suited her face just as much as her slightly crazed grins. "Thank you." Bruce told her sincerely, nodding as he said it. Britta smiled slightly and turned to look at the scepter, disgust immediately appearing on her face. Now it was the doctor staring at Britta, wanting to see her expression when he spoke. "By the way, you can just call me Bruce." He told her. Britta didn't look at him but a huge grin appeared on her face and her eyes danced with a bright light that was a few degrees brighter than overjoyed.

There was a knock on the lab door and then it slid open, revealing a nervous looking S.H.I.E.L.D agent. Britta and Bruce turned to look at him, the former frowning when she saw the agent's clear fear of the doctor. "Um Director Fury has requested that both of you go to the control room and wait for him there. He has some things he wants to discuss." He said, not looking at either of them.

"We'll be there in just a minute." Britta told the agent. He nodded and practically ran from the room, making Britta frown even more. "That was rude of him, to act the way he did. You're not terrifying and obviously you're not going to snap. You would have already if you were." She said seriously, staring after the agent. When she turned back to Bruce she couldn't help but smile at the surprised look on his face. She got to her feet and grabbed Bruce's hand. "Come along Brucey. We mustn't be late or the pirate will make us walk the plank." She told him cheerfully before pulling him from the lab.

_**"You're holding his hand."**_Grid pointed out when they had gotten about halfway to the control room. Almost instantly Britta released Bruce's hand, giving him an apologetic look that he responded to with a small smile that basically told her it was no big deal, that he didn't mind.

_**"Ugh! Grid! You ruined the moment! It was so freaking cute, them holding hands like little kids!"** _Nanna said furiously.

_"No Nan, Grid was right to tell me." _Britta responded sadly. Bruce watched her expression change to sad and then to a fierce glare, knowing it wasn't directing him by the glazed look in her eye. She must be talking to the voices in her head. _"We're not supposed to get close to people, remember? Not with Grid here." _Britta said, unable to keep the furious tone out of her voice.

Britta felt Grid roll her nonexistent eyes. _"You don't push people away just because of me. After all, you claim to have control of me most of the time and you stop me before I can do anything all the time. Admit it, you push people away on your own." _Grid said. Britta winced, why did Grid have to do that? Why did she always tell Britta to do things she really didn't want to do? Because she liked torturing her, that's why. Grid delighted in making Britta squirm.

When they reached the control room Bruce immediately placed himself on the outskirts of the room just as he had done before, standing close to the stairs that Britta only just realized didn't lead to nowhere. Britta gave him a reassuring smile before walking over to Thor and grabbing his hand, something she hadn't done since they were children. Thor squeezed her hand, knowing she was upset by Loki's actions and wanting to give her some type of comfort. Steve and Natasha who were sitting on opposite sides of the table watched the exchange. Natasha watched it and started forming small character analysis in her head. Both of the Asgardians kept serious expressions so as not to draw attention to their enclosed hands but it just seemed to enhance the noticeability. Such stoic faced people holding hands? Yeah like that was really not going to get noticed. Steve noticed it because for some reason he hadn't pictured the girl as the hand holding type. After all, she was so distant even with her seemingly open personality. She was careful not to touch people too which made Steve wonder what Thor had done to make her not mind with him. Bruce didn't think that as he stared at the entwined hands of the Asgardians. He thought that the girl was clearly a person who needed physical contact with someone and had been starved of it. He was actually surprised she wasn't hugging Thor seeing how tightly she clung to his hand.

Natasha finally pulled her eyes away from the Asgardians to look at the screen in front of her that had just popped up. It was the surveillance feed from the room Loki was being held. Everyone around the table watched the screen though not all of them were really able to see anything. Mostly Steve since he was all the way across the table and sitting. Still, even if he couldn't see it he could hear just fine. Natasha had the volume up loud enough for all of them to hear. Even so, she sent him a copy of her screen and he stared at it intently, not wanting to miss a single detail.

"Thirty thousand feet straight down in a steel trap!" Fury said over the rush of wind. Everyone but the S.H.I.E.L.D agents had to guess that Loki's cage hung over open air. Britta was surprised, she hadn't felt them rise back up into the air. Of course, the Helicarrier was probably designed so you wouldn't feel it on the inside. It would be rather hard to do things if you could feel yourself steadily going higher and higher. "You get how that works?!" A few seconds later the rush of wind died which meant that the hole Loki's cage could drop through could close. Fury gestured to Loki. "Ant." Fury gestured to the control panel. "Boot."

Loki started laughing and the people in the control room repressed shudders at the mockingly amused laugh. Thor and Britta didn't have to though, they'd heard that laugh before even if they'd never heard the underlying darkness to it. "It's an impressive cage." Loki said, grinning away as he gestured to his jail cell. "Not built, I think, for me." Loki said knowingly.

Britta immediately looked up at Bruce. It was a logical assumption that S.H.I.E.L.D had created a cage specifically for the Hulk in case anything went wrong. They probably never thought they'd catch the God of Mischief and have to store him there. Bruce looked up at her then back at the screen as Fury spoke. "Built for something a lot stronger than you." The Director said. Britta smirked a little and couldn't help but admit that was true. Loki was no master of strength like Thor, his skills had always been in much subtler things. Britta's had too.

"Oh I've heard." Loki said. He turned and looked directly at the camera, as if he knew that Doctor Banner would be listening. Knowing Loki, he did. "A mindless beast makes play he's still a man." Everyone looked at Banner then, expecting some sort of rise out of him. Britta felt his irritation and his self hate but they were dull, passive, fleeting emotions. His expression remained emotionless as he met Agent Romanoff's eyes. Britta disliked the woman for telling her to stay in the jet and her super secret spyness but she practically hated the woman when she felt Bruce's huge distrust of the redhead. It didn't matter to her that Bruce distrusted basically everyone, she would take any chance she could to distrust the woman further. Britta had never liked spies. "How desperate are you that you call upon such lost creatures to defend you?" Loki asked mockingly. Britta looked up at Thor and saw the pained and almost disgusted look on his face. She squeezed his hand, leaning into him.

"How desperate am I?" Fury asked, his voice wavering with anger for a second. "You threaten my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace and you kill cause it's fun." Fury sounded beyond peeved and actually pretty terrifying. Britta had a feeling he could scare a criminal with his tone alone but Loki was no common criminal. He was Loki of Asgard, the man with the best poker face in all the Nine Realms besides Heimdall. One of the most fearless men on Asgard even if he wasn't acknowledged as such. Fury wouldn't be enough to scare him. "You have made me very desperate. You might not be glad that you did."

Loki grinned wickedly at the Director. "Ooh, it burns you to have come so close." He said in a cruel joke kind of way. Britta shuddered and pressed her forehead to Thor's arm. He gently patted her head, his version of comfort while he was distracted. "To have the Tesseract, to have power, unlimited power. And for what?" Loki tone was dark at the end of his sentence. It suggested something. It suggested that Fury might be hiding something. Loki turned to the camera again with a grin. "A warm light for all mankind to share." Britta's eyes scrunched together in confusion. That sounded like a jab at someone and Britta had a feeling it was at Tony. A warm light, his arc reactor. For all mankind to share, his clean energy campaign. Britta looked over at Bruce and could see clearly in his eyes that he was thinking the same thing. Loki turned back to Fury, obviously thinking he'd gotten his point across. "And then to be reminded what real power is." Britta rolled her eyes, thinking this Loki was even more egotistical than the one she grew up with. Her Loki's ego had been tolerable. This Loki's was like a poison you couldn't escape but really seriously wanted to.

For a few minutes there was nothing but silence but then Fury let out a breathy little chuckle, giving Loki a half smile that was _not_ amused. "Well let me know if 'Real Power' wants a magazine or something." Fury said, walking out of the room. Britta snorted and shook her head, who knew Fury could actually be funny?

The screens in front of Captain America and Agent Romanoff turned off, leaving them all with an image of Loki smiling up at the camera. Bruce chuckled a little despite the seriousness of the situation. "He really grows on you, doesn't he?" The doctor said jokingly, grinning. Britta laughed but her laugh quickly began the beginnings of a sob and she turned away, burying her face in Thor's bicep as she tried to stop herself from crying. Loki had become so cruel, so horribly cruel. What had happened to make him like this? What in Odin's name could change her friend so drastically? Thor embraced the girl, letting her cry silently into his chest. Bruce looked at Britta apologetically though she couldn't see it. She felt it though and shot him a forgiving look. Bruce felt awful though and he pinched the bridge of his nose and began pacing, something he only did when he felt agitated or when he was criticizing his own actions. Britta smiled at him before quickly wiping away her tears, hating appearing weak before so many people and making Bruce feel bad.

Steve waited for Britta to stop crying before speaking since his question was directed towards Thor and the god was too distracted to answer with Britta in such a state. "Loki's gonna drag this out. So, Thor, what's his play?" The super soldier asked the god.

Thor gently pushed his practical sister away so that he could answer the soldier's question. Britta didn't protest and simply walked over to Bruce's side. "He has an army called the Chitauri." Thor answered, now looking at the floor instead of the Captain. Brue fidgeted beside Britta. He sensed she needed to cling to someone and if she kept tugging at her braid, which was still loose and wild from her trip to Stuttgart, she would pull off her hair. Bruce knew it was dangerous to let people get close to him but for some reason he held out his arm anyways, silently telling Britta she could cling to him. The girl smiled before latching onto his arm and pulling herself close to the doctor. "They're not of Asgard or any world known." Thor said, turning to the super soldier. He looked at the people gathered at the table, taking note of Britta clinging to the glasses wearing man as if her life depended on it. "They will win him the earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract." Thor said.

"An army. From outer space." Steve said, looking over at Agent Romanoff who really wasn't showing any emotion. He sounded calm when he spoke about an army but when he said outer space there was a slightly disbelieving and yet also slightly fearful tone to his voice. Britta was almost sure she was the only one who heard the fear.

"So he's building another portal." Bruce said, taking off his glasses. Everyone turned to look at him and Britta reluctantly pulled away from him, knowing that his seriousness would be diminished by her clinging to him. "That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." Bruce said wisely.

"Selvig?" Thor asked, concern in his voice. Britta made a note to ask him about his time on Midgard later when they were alone.

Bruce looked over at Thor, fiddling with his glasses. Britta noticed this and thought that maybe it was a thinking thing. Like he thought clearer without his glasses on. Maybe his vision blurred up so much he could barely see people and that made his thoughts all the more clear. It was a good theory but there was no way to confirm it without asking. Now was not the time to ask of course so Britta just added that to the list of things she had to ask people when the time was right. "He's an astrophysicist." Bruce answered.

"He's a friend." Thor said curtly, looking concerned.

"Loki has him under some kind of spell." Natasha said, her voice wavering ever so slightly at the last word. She sounded sad and worried and she knew they heard it. "Along with one of ours." She said, looking away. For a second Britta's heart went out to the clearly upset woman.

"I want to know why Loki let us take him." Steve said, looking at Thor as if the god had all the answers. As if Thor actually knew anything about _this_ Loki. He knew his brother. This man trying to take over Midgard was not the brother Thor knew. "He's not leaving an army from here." Steve said, looking back at Bruce and coincidentally Britta. He locked eyes with the Halfling girl and frowned slightly when he saw the sharp look she was giving him. He wanted to be the one with mind reading abilities so he could find out why on earth she was staring at him like that.

"I don't think we should be focusing on Loki." Doctor Banner said, drawing the attention back to him. He seemed uncomfortable with the attention but still, he needed to make his thoughts known. "That guy's brain is a bag full of cats. You can smell crazy on him." Bruce said.

Britta winced, remembering how Loki used to be. "Bruce." She said gently, preparing to ask him politely not to say anything more about Loki, but an angry step forward from Thor cut her off.

"Have care how you speak." Thor said warningly. Bruce watched the Asgardian carefully, almost curiously, while Britta did the same though she was trying to decide if she had to stop Thor from doing something. Natasha stared at the table while Steve stared at Britta, noticing the sad light in her eyes. "Loki is beyond reason but he is of Asgard and he is my brother." Thor said, glancing over at Britta. He was not sure if she wanted to call Loki her brother anymore so he did not say that he their brother. It_ was_ a possibility. After all she _had_ been gone for two thousand years so perhaps her love for Loki had died enough for her to drop the title of Loki's sister.

"He killed eighty people in two days." Natasha said darkly, looking up at Thor. She was glaring and then at the same time it was like she was just looking at the golden haired warrior. Maybe it was just the light in her eyes that was glaring.

Thor didn't seem to have anything to say to that. He paused for the moment and seemed to say the first thing that came to mind. "He's adopted." His voice was low and awkward. That really wasn't the best thing to say and he felt stupid for saying it. Thor looked up at Britta, expecting to see confusion, but seeing nothing more than slight amusement fringed with knowing. "You knew. You knew about his true parentage." Thor said, his eyes narrowing as he stared at Britta.

Britta let out a short humorless laugh. "No secrets are safe from me. Remember?" She said bitterly. Everyone looked at her, easily picking up that she hated unwillingly knowing everyone's secrets.

"And you did not tell me?! Or him?!" Thor shouted, looking at Britta in furious shock.

"I was a child when I learned it Thor!" Britta shouted back, glaring at him. Her hands were balled up into lethal fists and her head was pounding as Grid pushed on her hold of control, begging Britta to let her come out and deal with Thor properly. "We grew up being taught that Frost Giants were evil and we heard others say all the time they would kill one of the monsters the second they saw one! Imagine how I felt when I learned my best friend was one! I thought if others knew Loki would surely be killed so I kept my mouth shut!" Britta shouted. She took a menacing step forward that Thor matched, both of them now so close to the table that they couldn't step further anymore. "Get mad at me if you wish Thor but do not deny that I had good reason for my silence." Britta said, her voice surprisingly calm seeing as she was growling. Thor glared but kept his mouth shut, unable to think of anything else he could say.

The silence stretched on for a while until it became obvious neither of the Asgardians were going to speak. Bruce cleared his throat loudly, pulling everyone's attention over to him. Britta let out a barely audible sigh and retreated backwards, pressing her back against the wall. All she wanted was for this day to just end. She slid down the wall clutching her head, groaning in pain as she did. A loud pitiful groan escaped her lips, something everyone heard even if Bruce was talking loud enough for everyone to hear. No one paid her any attention though as Tony came sauntering into the room, chatting away with Coulson about flying him to Portland. Grid started fighting for control and Britta snarled, unable to voice that she wasn't going to let that happen. As Tony talked Britta tried to listen but eventually the pain and Grid's fighting became too much and she whimpered in, catching the attention of Phil Coulson who wasn't standing too far away. While Tony began to have a sciency talk with Bruce, Phil went over to Britta and helped her to her feet. He helped her walk out of the control room and started walking her to the medical bay.

"Phil. Interrogation room. Lock me in." Britta begged the man, whimpering as Grid started taking over. "Please." She begged. Reluctantly Phil nodded and he gently placed her at the entrance of the room. She slammed the door shut behind her and Phil locked it. He leaned against the wall beside the door and waited, hoping the girl was alright.

Grid took over the second the door was locked. "Dammit Britta!" The evil girl shouted, slamming her fist into the door in fury. Sighing, she cast the appearance changing spell. She hated being mistaken as Britta even if it could be useful. "You are the most irritating creature on this planet." Grid paused for a minute, looking thoughtful. "Well, besides Nan." Grid said.

"Grid give me back my body!" Britta shouted, shoving back into control for a split second. Grid shoved her back with an evil laugh, cherishing the moment. She didn't get to be in control often and she enjoyed it even if she couldn't do anything while she was trapped in the interrogation room. She could use magic, a result of being trapped in Britta's head for so long, but it wasn't very powerful since she'd only gotten the chance to use it a couple of times. So far Britta wasn't good at illusions and not much else.

"No Britt, I'm going to enjoy my time in control. I think I'll work on magic. After all, I think we can all agree it needs a bit of work." Grid said cheerfully.

"Grid stop!" Nanna shouted, surprisingly managing to get into control. "You're still technically using Britt's body and she's about to pass out! Stop so she can get some freaking sleep!" Nanna shouted.

Grid rolled her eyes then grinned wildly at how good it felt to actually be able to do that. She didn't want to admit that Nanna was right, she hated admitting that anyone but herself was right but mostly the bubbly Nan, but she knew she was. "Why would I do that? When she wakes she'll be able to keep me out of control!" Grid said angrily, deciding to argue even if Nan was right. Grid grinned up at the cameras, knowing someone had to be watching her. A move stolen from Loki but still effective. "I wonder what your new little friends saw you like this Britt. All dark and evil and willing to kill them. Would they still like you after you came at them with a knife? Even if you didn't look like you and it was me, they'd still never be able to look at you the same way again because eventually you'd drop the spell and turn back to yourself." Grid said, chuckling darkly. Grid conjured up a real looking stage knife, the kind that wouldn't hurt anyone but made it look like you'd actually been stabbed. It was so much easier to create cheap materials than metal. "Imagine if this knife was real Britta. I could plunge it into the patriotic heart of the soldier whose life you ruined. Or I could slice open the stomach of the gentle doctor you've been clinging to since we arrived on this stupid ship." Britta snarled animalisticly and shoved against Grid's hold on control. "Ooo you didn't like those threats did you. Figures. You've always been so protective of those who've shown you kindness. Which is why you'd attempt to kill me if I tried stabbing big brother."

"TOUCH ANY OF THEM AND I'LL KILL YOU!" Britta shouted, shoving Grid harshly. The evil girl was clinging to control though, not wanting to relinquish her hold. It had been so very long since she was in control of their body.

"And how would that work Britta?!" Grid shouted back, snarling. She grabbed the table and flipped it, sending it falling to the ground with a loud unbelievable crash. "You can't kill me! You'd be killing yourself!" Grid grabbed one of the chairs and threw it at the mirror on the wall, knowing it was like those mirrors in cop movies. The chair crashed through it and landed within the observation room. Grid leapt through the shattered mirror and landed gracefully on the glass covered ground. The glass crunched beneath her feet as she walked across the room to the door. "You need to learn Britta. You need to learn that me and Nan are the only people you need in your life. I'm going to teach you that. I'm going to kill them before they get close to you. Before you get too attached." Grid said, turning the doorknob.

Britta slammed Grid out of the way, taking her body back. She threw Grid as far back into her head as possible, got Nanna to stand guard over the evil girl, and fell into the hallway outside the observation room, dispelling the appearance change as she did. Phil was by her side in a second, one hand placed gently on her shoulder while the other hovered over his gun just in case. "Ugh, Phil, kill me now." Britta gasped out. Her head had stopped hurting and so had the rest of her but now she was even more tired than before. She needed to pass out and she needed to do it now.

Phil smiled at her a little. "I'm not going to kill you Britta." He told her. Britta smiled a little then collapsed on the floor with a soft pitiful groan. "You know, we don't have bedrooms her except for S.H.I.E.L.D agents but I can find you a place to sleep if you want." Phil said.

"Bruce's lab. On the floor." Britta mumbled out.

"Alright, you can crash there. But you have to get up." Phil told her. Britta nodded and slowly got to her feet, Phil helping her the whole time. They started walking through the hallways, Britta's head leaned sleepily against his shoulder, and Phil couldn't help but smile. "You're going to get yelled at for the damage to the interrogation room." He told her. Britta laughed quietly, too tired to worry.


	11. Afb, please read

**I got a review on my Daughter of Tony Stark story that I really just...I have to respond to it. I'm horrid at expressing ****_my_**** emotions but I'm seriously going to try with this. Afb, I'm calling you that since I have no clue whether or not you'll want your first name up for everyone to know, your review...I'm trying to figure out a way to respond. You said thank you and all I'm thinking is I need to be thanking you. No one,_ no one_, has ever given me a review that really struck me. No offense to anyone else whose reading this, I love the compliments and all but this review, Afb's review, seriously just it...like I said I'm no good at expressing my own emotions. Afb, I'll go ahead and say your welcome but I'm also going to say thank you because...wow. I just...UGH! I wish I was better at actually saying what I'm feeling. I'm writing this and I'm not going to go back and change it because I want you to know exactly what I'm thinking in response to your review. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I'm so shocked that I got that kind of response and I'm...I feel kind of numb. I don't know if this is horrible to say but I'm so happy I actually can write good enough to make someone feel like that. That is probably horrid to say and I'm sorry if I made you mad by saying it but I had to say it and...If you ever read this and I hope you do I just want to tell you, thank you. Oh and you should tell her. Really, you should.**


	12. Sleeping

"Admit it." Tony said for the umpteenth time. Bruce didn't even look up at him this time, looking at the screen as he waited for the confirmation email Fury was supposed to send. Bruce had been told that he was supposed to get permission before running absolutely any tests. It was incredibly stupid but the doctor didn't want to risk angering the Director and getting thrown in a cage. The other guy wouldn't really appreciate it. Not like they had anywhere they could put him now anyways. Loki was in his cage after all. "Come on, admit it!" Tony persisted.

Bruce glanced up at the genius and smirked. "You don't give up do you?" He asked, sounding close to approving though mostly amused.

Tony grinned wildly. "Nope." He answered, popping the p. Bruce shook his head and turned back to the screen without saying a word. Tony shot to his feet and walked around the table between them so he was directly beside Bruce. He placed his face in front of the screen, making sure there was no way the doctor could see anything if it popped up. "Bruce, admit it. You think she looks adorable." Tony said, grinning.

Agent Coulson had brought Britta in a couple of hours ago and told them to make sure she got some sleep. The girl looked like she hadn't been to sleep in a week though Bruce was sure that wasn't true. It was nerves and stress and broken heartedness mixed with whatever problems her voices were causing her. Britta smiled at them tiredly before walking over to an empty corner of the room, curling up into a ball, and passing out. She was out like a light the second her eyes shut. Bruce and Tony had both looked at her with concern. She had seemed so lively a few hours ago. What had happened to mess her up so badly? Bruce felt the always present feeling of the other guy in his head and thought that it was probably her voices that had done that to her. Grid, more than like. Britta had basically said that Grid was evil beyond all reason.

Anyways, after the first hour the two men noticed how cold and uncomfortable the girl looked. Tony threw his jacket over her, making it into a makeshift blanket, while Bruce folded up his own jacket and placed it beneath her head as an improvised pillow. Shockingly, the girl had snuggled her face deeper into Bruce's jacket, as if she liked the smell clinging to it. He couldn't imagine it smelled too good when he considered where he'd been before Agent Romaoff came and got him and yet she seemed to like it. She had her arms, which were kind of slim, wrapped almost protectively around her pillow. She had her knees tucked up so close to her chest that the jacket covered absolutely every part of her and she looked like just a head and some arms. Her face was so relaxed and serene. Bruce had smiled at that look, glad that in sleep she could get a break, and Tony had taken that to mean he thought the girl was hot. Then he'd looked over at her and corrected himself with adorable. Though he added in some comments about Bruce thinking she was hot while she wasn't covered completely by a jacket.

"I still don't know how a human being can curl up into that tight of a ball." Tony said, looking over at Britta. A small barely noticeable smile had appeared on her face, making Bruce wonder what she was dreaming about.

"Probably an underlying psychological problem." Bruce answered without thinking. Tony looked at him curiously, and eyebrow raised. Bruce sighed, took off his glasses, and began thinking about her in as scientific of a way as possible. "Certain sleep studies have shown that people who sleep in the fetal position or in a ball are looking for some type of comfort and are constantly worrying. Other studies show that it means the person in question has a subconscious desire to be protected or dependent. Some studies suggest it means depression while others say it means underlying shyness." Bruce ranted, looking over at the girl the entire time. When he looked back at Tony there was a look of mild surprise on his face and a question in his eyes. "I got bored one night. Decided to read on the theories of sleep positions to bore myself to sleep." Bruce said, smiling slightly.

Tony chuckled and shook his head before looking a the girl. "So which one do you think she is? Depressed, shy, worrier, needs comfort or protection?" Tony asked curiously.

Bruce put his glasses on again and turned back to the screen where Fury's message still hadn't popped up. "I don't know." He said, shrugging. Tony gave him a look that said he didn't believe the doctor but Bruce didn't acknowledge it. He did have a theory, that it was all of them, but he didn't want to say anything. Britta was kind enough not to pry into his head and he'd be kind enough not to pry into hers. Besides, he was certain she didn't speculate about him to others so he wasn't going to speculate about her.

"Speaking of sleep, you should get some." Tony said when he realized the doctor wasn't going to continue the conversation. Tony turned the screen off and Bruce looked up at him, mild confusion in his eyes. "Come on big guy, get some sleep. A twenty minute power nap at the least. Fury probably won't answer your message till then since he's got all that super secret pirate stuff going on. He probably hasn't even noticed the message yet so get some sleep and I'll wake you when and if something happens." Tony said, a determined light in his eyes.

Bruce had known Tony for only a couple of hours now and already he knew not to argue with Tony when he was determined. Bruce sighed, shot the other man a weary smile, and walked over to the one corner of the room that was free of things. Britta's corner. He sat a bit from her, not wanting to take up a lot of space if Tony decided to do anything but not wanting to be too close to her. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. He didn't want to accidentally wake her up and ruin that. Bruce removed his glasses, placed them on a nearby table just short enough for him to reach, and closed his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. "Goodnight Mister Stark." Bruce said somewhat jokingly before passing out.

Tony looked over at the sleeping two and a mischievous smile appeared on his face. He'd seen them walking down the hallway holding hands earlier when they'd forced him to go to the medical bay and get checked for damages done by the god. Obviously the girl wasn't afraid of Bruce and he had a feeling the doctor was tiptoeing around her. Tony had already decided to boost the doctor's self esteem and self worth while he was here so why not help him get the girl right?

Twenty minutes later, after Tony retrieved his damaged gauntlet, anyone who walked into the lab would have seen Britta using Bruce's leg as a pillow while the doctor held her protectively with one arm while Tony worked. Tony had moved Britta just a little closer to the doctor and it had worked beautifully. He grinned, thinking that if Bruce accused him of placing them closer together he could counter with not being responsible for them enjoying it.

**Okay so first off I thank everyone who's reading this. Chocolate and marshmallow Peeps to blow up in a microwave for everybody! ****Second, I've got to address a review I got from cutie5alexis.**

**I know exactly how you feel about reading. Stories are perfect little escapes that I go to when I'm hating reality. I'm so glad I can give you and other people an escape from reality. Thank you, thank you so much for thinking I have talent. I've been writing since second grade and I've never been sure if I was any good and then you and everybody else comes along and I just...Seriously you gave me so many feels just for telling me that. I'll never stop writing, ever. It's too much apart of me. I'm unbelievably happy that I've become apart of your daily routine. Knowing that there's someone out there who loves my writing that much...I can't even describe what I'm feeling. Thank you. Thank you soooooo much.**


	13. Time in the Lab

Britta woke up feeling better than she had in a really long time. She blinked her eyes open and stared around the lab with a mild bit of confusion. For a second she had no clue where she was but then she saw Tony coming back into the lab and she remembered. Britta yawned and snuggled back into her pillow, wanting to go back to sleep since it had been so damn peaceful. It took her about two seconds to realize she wasn't lying on a pillow. She slowly sat up, feeling a jacket and an arm slide off her back. Her jaw dropped when she saw that she'd been using Doctor Banner's leg as a pillow.

"Mornin' Alien." Tony said cheerfully. He was eating from a bag of strawberries and he had about a million different other bags similar to it in his arms.

Britta glanced at her watch and yawned. "Afternoon Metal Man." She said tiredly. Britta groggily got up and took a few steps away from Doctor Banner so she could stretch her arms and not feel weird or accidentally hit him. She felt a little cold and she spotted Bruce's jacket lying on the floor. Tony's was trapped beneath Bruce's arm so you know, why not? He wouldn't mind...maybe. Even if he did she'd take it off the second he woke up. "What have you been up to?" She asked, pulling Bruce's jacket on. She lifted the collar so the it was covering everything but her eyes. It had a weird smell. Mostly it smelled like whatever place Bruce had been before here but on the inside there was the distinct smell of musky aftershave and mocha. Not a bad combination but surprising nonetheless.

Tony shrugged, eating the last strawberry before opening a bag of grapes. "Getting food, waiting on the pirate to notice things, fixing the things your brother broke." He said, walking over to the nearest table. He placed the many bags down and started organizing them into three different piles, still eating his grapes.

"Which brother?" Britta asked, dropping the collar of the jacket. She rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, trying to force consciousness on herself.

"Which brother?" Tony repeated her question glancing back at her. Britta froze for a nanosecond before shrugging nonchalantly at him, like saying it shouldn't be taken as a big deal. It had been a slip up. Loki wasn't her brother anymore... "Point Break. The blonde." Tony answered finally before popping another grape in his mouth.

"Sorry about him. Thor's quick to anger and he has always been very protective of his brother." Britta said apologetically. Tony shrugged, sorting out the remaining food bags. "That does not excuse him for what he's done of course. It was wrong, beyond wrong, to strike a mortal, even a mortal covered in armor, with Mjolnir. You could very easily die. Steve was not even armored and yet my dear brother tried to hit him." Britta let out a heavy sigh to relieve some of her anger. She shook her head, clearing it of any troublesome thoughts for at least the moment. "Anyways, I apologize for his actions. It will _not_ be happening again." Britta said.

Tony shrugged again and slowly turned around, picking up his bag of grapes as he did. He leaned against the table and stared at Britta. "It's no big deal, Alien. I'm not dead so he's forgiven." He said. Britta smiled thankfully at him and he smiled back. Then his smile turned mischievous and Britta stared at him with caution. It was a familiar smile, Loki's, and seeing as he'd turned dark she didn't know whether or not to trust the smile. Tony's eyes shined with good nature though so she relaxed a little, not a lot but enough. It _was_ a mischievous smile after all. Never trust mischief. "So, did you sleep well?" Tony asked teasingly.

Britta's face instantly turned bright red. "Not funny Tony." She grumbled. Tony laughed at her though and a smile appeared on her face despite herself. "You moved me, I know you did. You're too amused for me to block your thoughts, which is really annoying, and I know what you did. Not funny." She told him though she kept smiling.

"I think it was funny." Tony said, grinning. He offered her the bag of grapes and Britta took a few, rolling her eyes as she did. Tony grabbed one himself and they stood there chewing for a few seconds or so, staring at each other. Britta was determining how to get back at him while Tony was determining whether or not the girl needed some self esteem help too. "Besides, if you really can read my thoughts, you know I only moved you closer to him. You guys are the ones who got all snuggly." Tony told her.

"It wouldn't have happened if you had left us alone." Britta told him though she didn't sound mad.

Tony grinned at her. "I hear absolutely no disappointment in your voice." He informed her before walking over to Bruce. He gently shook the doctor awake while Britta frowned. The doctor looked peaceful in his sleep and she felt bad for the poor guy. She wanted to tell Tony to leave Bruce alone but, unfortunately, she noticed the message from Fury on a nearby screen saying they could begin their tests and she knew Bruce had to wake up. "Hey big guy. You have to get up, we've got science to do." Tony said, poking Bruce's cheek. Bruce very slowly opened his eyes and, when he caught sight of Tony, let out a groan. "What's wrong?" Tony asked, sounding concerned.

Bruce smiled a little. "I was hoping it was a dream." He said sleepily. Tony chuckled and stood up, walking over to the table with the food. Bruce looked down at his leg, expecting to see Britta there, but there was no one. He looked around in concern and spotted her standing not far awake, watching him with a sad smile on her face. She was wearing his jacket and Bruce felt something stir in his chest. She looked good in it. Tiny, but good. "Morning." He told her, nodding a little. He started getting up, yawning.

Britta's smile turned from sad to cheerful. "It's the afternoon." She told him. She laughed when he stopped getting up and stared at her in shock. "Yeah I know. I don't usually sleep that long or that well either." Britta shot Tony a secretive look. "I must have had a really good pillow." She said. Tony was turned half away from her but she still saw the gigantic grin that appeared on his face. Britta shook her head at him and turned her attention back to the doctor who was staring at her, a slight pink to his cheeks. "What's the matter?" She asked in concern. She saw his eyes fixed on her shoulders and she nearly facepalmed. How could she forget she was wearing his jacket that quickly? She blamed Tony. "Oh sorry. I was cold and you had Tony's jacket beneath your arm and I didn't want to move it and wake you and..." Britta realized how nervous and stupid she sounded. She shook her head, calling herself an idiot. "Sorry." Britta mumbled.

"No it's fine." Bruce said, grabbing his glasses off of the table. He put them on as he walked over to the table covered with bags of food. Britta smiled at him and started removing the jacket but he shook his head. "No Britta go ahead and wear it if you're cold. Looks better on you anyways." Bruce said without thinking. Britta stared at him in shock as he stared at the bags of food with a concentrating look on his face. He realized what he said the second it was out of his mouth but he hoped if he pretended he didn't notice she wouldn't say anything. "Is this breakfast?" Bruce asked, looking over at Tony who was getting out some gear to scan the scepter with.

Tony nodded absently. "Middle one is yours. The right's Alien's." He told them. He looked up for a second and his eyes landed on a bag of blueberries in Britta's pile. "Actually, mine's the right and Alien's is left. Toss me the blueberries." He said before looking at the scepter with interest. Britta shook her head, grinning, and picked up the bag. She stared at Tony with determination before chucking the bag right at his face. Surprisingly the man reached up and caught it easily, grabbing it at the top so he wouldn't squish the precious blueberries inside. Tony hadn't even been looking! Tony peeked up at Britta and grinned smugly at her shocked expression. "I'm amazing." He told her simply.

"Amazing at being stupid maybe." Britta countered, her nose scrunched up in annoyance.

Tony placed a hand over his heart and put on a overly dramatic hurt expression. "Oh! Oh that hurts! What a creative insult that just broke my heart to pieces!" Tony said in a fake hurt voice.

Britta forced back a grin. "You want to go Stark?" She asked, placing her hands on her hips. She lifted her chin up dramatically and Tony smiled. "Cause I'll fight you, I will. And, trust me, I won't be as gentle as Thor." Britta joked. Tony snorted loudly and Britta playfully narrowed her eyes. Bruce just shook his head and laughed at them, they were acting like kids.

_**"You're getting attached."**_Grid growled. Britta ignored her, enjoying the moment too much.

_**"Let her. She deserves it."**_Nanna said, shoving Grid back a little.

The boys started doing science and Britta tuned them out so that she'd be able to just enjoy the moment. Science was great and all but it confused Britta to no end. When Bruce said something about a toothbrush she resurfaced from whatever little world she fell into to find out what they were talking about. "You know, you should come by Stark Tower sometime." Tony said, walking over to the doctor. Bruce looked up for a second but quickly looked back at the scepter. "Top ten floors, all R and D. You'd love it, it's candy land." He said, smiling at the doctor. Britta smiled at Tony when she realized what he was up to. He was trying to bring Bruce back into society. Awesome. Britta liked Tony even more just for that.

"Thanks but the last time I was in New York I..kind of broke...Harlem." Bruce said, getting a little distracted and a little ashamed while he spoke.

Tony looked up at the screen Bruce was working on while he thought of what to do next. Britta smiled knowingly and had to look at the floor so Bruce wouldn't accidentally see it. "Well I promise a stress free environment." Tony said, walking behind Bruce who humorlessly chuckled. He either didn't believe Tony was capable of that or he thought Tony was lying. Britta wasn't sure and since she refused to read his mind without permission there was no way for her to find out. "No tension. No surprises." Tony said before poking Bruce sharply in the side with a miniature electrical prod.

"Ow!" Banner said loudly, turning to Tony who looked at his face intently for any sign of change. A confused but highly amused smile appeared on his face as he pressed a hand to his side. Britta laughed, watching the spectacle with amusement.

"Hey!" Steve shouted, storming in. Britta winced as his thoughts hit her and she pressed a hand to her forehead to stop the headache threatening to form. He was maaaaad.

Tony ignored the patriot, staring at Banner. "Nothing?" He asked, no disappointment in his voice and no shock. Banner just stared at him with the ultimate mix of shock and amusement. Britta smiled at that look, it was adorable on Banner's face.

...Wait...Did she just think that Banner looked adorable?

No! No, no way! She just meant that the look was adorable...on Banner's face.

Britta shook her head. What the heck was wrong with her? Why was she thinking everybody was cute?!

"Are you nuts?" Steve asked furiously, walking towards Tony and Bruce.

"Jury's out." Tony answered immediately. Bruce laughed, looking down at his keyboard. Tony stared at him with a look of confusion, as if he was still waiting for a reaction. "You really have got a lid on it haven't you. What's your secret?" Tony asked. Bruce was still chuckling while he tried to work, his shock not letting him do much else. That made two people who weren't afraid of him. Britta and Tony. What made them trust him? Tony was so confident that he could keep the other guy in check and Britta wasn't afraid he'd slip up and hurt her. Why weren't they afraid? Bruce looked up and saw Britta with one hand pressed to her forehead and the other raised towards him. She had an apologetic look on her face and Bruce realized she must be hearing his thoughts. Was his shock that bad? He gave her an apologetic look and toned down his shock, keeping it but ignoring it a little. "Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?" Tony asked.

Britta fell off her chair laughing. Steve shot her a disapproving look that she stuck her tongue out at. "Is everything a joke to you?" Steve asked, turning back to Tony.

"Funny things are." Tony said seriously, pointing at Steve with the electrical prod. Britta was getting a lot of emotions from him, mostly irritation, and she knew she'd be hearing his thoughts soon if Steve raised his voice even a little.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny." Steve said seriously. Tony frowned in disapproval and Britta glared at the super soldier. Did he not just hear himself? He just insulted Bruce! Steve noticed their disapproval though and his expression softened. "No offense doctor." He said apologetically, his voice soft.

Bruce waved a dismissive hand. This was normal. This was what he was used to. Fear and distrust. "No, it's alright." Bruce assured the soldier. "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle pointy things." He said, glancing over at Tony who was walking away.

Tony turned around while he walked. "You're tiptoeing big man." He told the doctor, pointing the prod at him. Tony was trying to salvage his plan to make the doctor feel better though he knew that probably wouldn't happen with Captain America standing there glaring at him. "You need to strut." Tony said.

"Yeah Brucey!" Britta said excitedly, leaping up from her place on the floor. She rushed across the room and leaned against the table, peering into Bruce's face. The doctor smiled a little at her. "You need to be more confident! Be loud and proud Banner!" Britta told him earnestly.

"Britta, please, knock it off." Steve told her. Britta stuck her tongue out at the soldier but shut up, patting Bruce's hand once before walking over to the chair she'd been sitting in. Steve didn't mind her boosting Doctor Banner's self esteem but at the moment it really wasn't the best thing to do. It was extremely kind of her though, he had to give her that. He watched her until she sat down before turning to Stark. "You need to focus on the problem, Mister Stark." Steve the genius.

"You think I'm not?" Tony asked immediately, sounding a tad bit offended. He started walking towards the super soldier. "Why did Fury call us and why now? Why not before? What isn't he telling us?" Tony said, sowing the seeds of doubt in the Captain's head. He picked up his bag of blueberries, reaching in to grab a few. "I can't do the equation unless I have all the variables."

Britta stared at Steve and she felt Tony's plan working. She looked over at Bruce who was working but with a knowing look on his face. Obviously the two men had talked about this while she was asleep. "You think Fury's hiding something?" Steve asked in confirmation.

"He's a spy." Tony said. The way he said it made it sound like the only answer you would need but the Captain still stared at him as if he didn't understand. "Captain, he's _the_ spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony said before popping a mouthful of blueberries into his mouth. "It's bugging him too. Isn't it?" Tony said with a mouthful of blueberries, looking at the doctor.

Britta and Steve instantly looked at Bruce who stared back at them trying to decide what to say. Bruce let out a really long "uh" and started making weird noises, waving his hands as he gestured to his work. Britta had to force herself not to laugh, covering her mouth with her hand and looking away while the doctor found words. "I just want to finish my work here and-"

"Doctor." Steve said, cutting him off. He gave Bruce a look that said he should just go ahead and say what he wanted to say.

Bruce stopped his incoherent talk and looked over at Tony, giving him a "why did you have to bring it up" look. He sighed and looked down at the table, deciding he might as well say what he was thinking. He took his glasses off. "A warm light for all mankind. Loki's jab at Fury about the cube." Bruce said.

Steve nodded a bit. "I heard it." He said, not understanding that Bruce added on that little explanation for Tony who hadn't heard it. Britta watched Bruce carefully, feeling his mind working like crazy, and smiled.

"Well I think that was meant for you." Bruce said, looking and pointing at Tony. The billionaire turned so he was looking out the windows and offered Bruce the bag of blueberries. The doctor glanced at it and grabbed a few to appease Tony. "Even if Barton didn't tell Loki about the tower it was still all over the news." He said.

"The Stark Tower?" Steve asked. The super soldier chuckled. "That big ugly-." Steve stopped talking when Tony gave him a look like "hey dude, right here, stop it." Steve pressed his lips together. "-building in New York?" He continued.

"It's powered by an Arc Reactor, a self sustaining energy source." Bruce looked up at Tony for confirmation. Tony nodded, chewing on blueberries. "The building will run itself for what, a year?" The doctor asked.

"That's just the prototype." Tony answered. Britta stared at him, impressed. Mortal technology was really an impressive thing and even more so in the hands of geniuses. Tony turned to Steve who was still kind of glaring at him. "I'm kind of the only name in clean energy right now. That's what he's getting at." Tony explained to the man out of time.

Steve turned to Bruce, pretty much ignoring Tony who Britta felt irritation practically radiating off of. She shot him a sympathetic look, knowing that growing up in Captain America's shadow must not have been fun and left the poor Stark boy bitter towards the American hero. Bruce sensed Tony's irritation too and decoded to distract the Captain before Tony killed him. "So why didn't S.H.I.E.L.D bring him in on the Tesseract project? I mean, what are they doing in the energy business in the first place?" Bruce speculated.

"I should probably look into that," Tony said as he walked around the table, "once my decryption program finishes breaking into all of S.H.I.E.L.D's secure files." He said, looking at his handheld screen.

Steve stared at Tony, shocked and then disgusted and then furious. "I'm sorry did you just say-"

"Jarvis has been running it since I hit the bridge." Tony said, looking up at Steve. Bruce and Britta looked at the Captain too, both wondering how he'd react. "By the end of the day we'll know every dirty secret S.H.I.E.L.D has ever tried to hide. Blueberry?" Tony said, offering him the bag. Britta snorted at that. Even in the most serious of situations Tony was still managing jokes.

"Yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." Steve said angrily.

"An intelligence agency that _fears_ intelligence?" Tony asked, pulling his blueberries back towards him. Britta snorted again cause it was like "hey you want a blueberry? Oh you're gonna mock me? Oh okay, no blueberries for you." No one but Bruce noticed her snort, thankfully, and he just smirked. "Historically not awesome." Tony said.

Britta cleared her throat loudly, getting the attention of all three men. "Okay, first off, both of you are so emotional right now that I can't block your freaking thoughts! Do you know how freaking annoying that is?! You have good reasons to hate each other and all but dear gods! After about like ten minutes you should have both realized it's petty to base each other off of the words of the same freaking person!" Britta shouted at the soldier and the genius. Both of them winced, somewhat out of shame but mostly because they're unspoken hate had been called out. And their reasons for their unspoken hate. Britta took a deep breath, calming herself. "Secondly, Tony, we are kidnapping Bruce when this is all over." She said. Tony nodded eagerly at that while Bruce just stared at her in shock. "Thirdly, Steve, I promised to protect you but if you insult someone one more time I can't guarantee you won't get hurt." Steve looked at her in shock but Britta just gave him a pointed look that told him to shut up. Steve's face heated up with shame. Not because he'd insulted the billionaire but because he hated that disapproving look. For some reason it was even worse coming from her. "Finally, Tony." Britta gave the man a smile. "You. Are. Awesome." She told him.

Steve scowled while Tony grinned. "Britta don't praise him. Hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D is not something to praise." He told her. Britta rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, pouting like a child. Steve sighed, hating that look too from her, and turned back to Tony. "I think Loki's trying to wind us up. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused he'll succeed." Steve looked over at Doctor Banner who just glanced up at him, his expression passive. "We have orders." Steve said, turning back to Tony. "We should follow them." He said pointedly.

Tony forced himself not to roll his eyes as he poured blueberries into his hand. "Following's not really my style." He said before popping more blueberries into his mouth.

Steve stared at Tony, his face calm but with underlying annoyance and anger. "And you're all about style aren't you?" Steve asked angrily.

"That's it. Tony is officially allowed to hit you." Britta grumbled furiously. She could feel that Steve had hit a nerve in Tony and she hated it.

Tony suddenly put on a confused that quickly turned into a look of anger. "Of the people in this room, which one is; A. wearing a spangly outfit, and B. not of use?" Tony asked mockingly, furious.

Britta suddenly groaned out in pain as she clutched her head. Both men were so furious and their thoughts were laced with the adrenaline everyone gets when they're mad. She hated angry adrenaline. It wasn't enough to make the person unable to think but it made their thoughts a little blurry. Blurry thoughts from other people always hurt more than the normal thoughts she couldn't block from her head. Bruce was the only one who noticed and he walked over to her, placing a hand on her forehead. She had a bit of a fever and her eyes were glazing over slightly, a different light trying to force its way into her eyes. Bruce realized that Grid must be trying to take advantage of her weakened head and take over. He turned to the other two men, wondering how to make them stop arguing so Britta's head wouldn't hurt.

"Steve." Bruce said, catching the super soldier's attention. "Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you." He said, keeping his voice calm but making sure the super soldier would at least consider the possibility.

Steve did seem to be considering it but then he shook his head, clearing his thoughts of any doubts like the good little soldier he was. Tony watched him, disgusted by the soldier's blind loyalty. "Just find the cube." Steve said softly. He started to leave the room but then he noticed the pain Britta was in and walked over. "Sorry ma'am." He said politely before walking out of the room. Britta frowned at the formality but also at the thoughts she had gotten from him about herself. The emotions attached to them were mixed, the worst kind of emotions.

"That's the guy my dad never shut up about?" Tony asked once the lab door was closed and they couldn't see the super soldier anymore. He didn't really see how on earth his dad had ever gotten along with the guy. I mean, yeah sure Steve was a hero and he'd saved hundreds and thousands of people but as a person he sucked. Britta frowned when she heard Tony's thoughts. Steve wasn't a bad person. Just a total jerk to Tony. "Wondering if they shouldn't have kept him on ice." Tony grumbled.

Bruce reached into his jacket pocket, which was a little awkward since Britta was still wearing it, and pulled out a bottle of Advil. He handed it to her and she smiled at him gratefully. It was so sweet, him taking care of her. Britta gave him a quick kiss to the cheek before focusing all her attention on the bottle in her hand. Bruce stared at her for a minute in shock, his whole body numb, before slowly making his way over to a hanging computer. "Guy's not wrong about Loki. He does have the jump on us." Bruce said, finally answering Tony as he got back into work. He absently touched his cheek, still shocked. She had...Bruce took a deep breath, trying to slow down his heart rate. His surprise was going to bring out the other guy if he didn't get it under control.

Tony started walking over. "What he's got is an Acme dynamite kit." He said and Britta smirked a little before downing a handful of the pills. Asgardians required so much more than the Midgardian doctors suggested. "It's gonna blow up in his face and I'm gonna be there when it does." Tony said.

Bruce looked over at Tony and smiled. "And I'll read all about it." He said sincerely, sending a few things over to Tony's screen.

"Uh huh." Tony said, as if he didn't believe it. "Or you'll be suiting up like the rest of us." He said.

Bruce laughed a little but Britta nodded eagerly, walking over. "Definitely Bruce. You could be a hero." She told him, poking his side with a smile.

"Well you see, I'm not a hero. I don't get a suit of armor." Bruce told them. How he managed to talk and still focus on work was beyond Britta. "I'm exposed." Bruce said, pausing for a second. He looked at the ground, an angry pained expression on his face. "Like a nerve." He said bitterly. Britta stared at him, pity appearing on her face. She wanted to give him a huge hug and tell him everything was going to be okay but she knew it would be a bad idea at the moment. "It's a nightmare." Bruce said softly. He glanced at Britta and Tony, realizing he had said too much. He quickly went back to work, not wanting to say anything else.

Tony didn't look over at Bruce when he spoke. "You know, I've got a cluster of shrapnel trying every second to crawl its way into my heart." He took a deep breath through his nose, as if telling this was paining him. Britta knew it was and her chest hurt, she could hear both their thoughts and they were so sad! She wanted to protect them from the world. "This stops it." Tony said. He patted the arc reactor, walking over to Bruce who was staring at him in shock. "This little circle of light. It's part of me now. Not just armor." Tony stopped when he was on the other side of the screen and stared at the doctor. Bruce couldn't believe Tony was telling him this. He was sure the billionaire had told nobody else so why was he telling it to him? "It's a terrible privilege." Tony said softly.

"But you can control it." Bruce pointed out.

"Because I learned how." Tony answered immediately.

Bruce shook his head defiantly. "It's different." He said firmly, going back to work.

Tony slid all the work on the screen to the side. "Hey." He said, looking at the doctor. There was no work between them now, Banner couldn't ignore him. Britta had to admit it had been a good move. "I read all about your accident. That much gamma exposure should have killed you." Tony said.

"So you're saying that the Hulk-." Bruce stopped and chuckled, realizing what he had just said. A small smile appeared on Britta's lips, Tony's plan had begun to work. "-the other guy saved my life?" He asked, sounding highly doubtful. "That's nice. I's a nice sentiment." He said, sounding a little appreciative but a little mad. Didn't Tony, didn't Britta, understand that he was dangerous? That the other guy wasn't a good thing? That he was cursed and they should stay away? "Saved it for what?" He asked, his voice surprisingly calm despite all that he was feeling. He could see Britta pour another handful of pills into her hand as she shook her head and realized she could hear his thoughts. He mentally facepalmed.

Tony stared at Bruce, trying to read his expression but the doctor was just as good at masks as Tony himself. Britta could see through both of them but she was swallowing down her pills. "I guess we'll find out." He said, smirking a little. He started walking back over to his screen.

"You may not enjoy that." Bruce said bitterly.

"And you just might." Tony said.

Britta watched them for a few seconds then sighed, removing Bruce's jacket. She laid it on a nearby chair. "Heart to hearts, they always take it out of me." She said jokingly, shooting the two boys a smile. It was tired though and they knew it actually had taken it out of her. Britta sighed again and concentrated her magic on changing her clothes.

Within ten seconds her clothes had morphed into an Asgardian outfit she had once worn to one of the casual banquets Thor and Loki would invite her to. Her shirt was now a tight fitting tunic with gold hemming around the bottom and the short clinging sleeves. It was low cut, something that wouldn't bother Britta if she wasn't about to go out into the control room where a bunch of guys were, and she quickly adjusted the shoulders so that it covered an extra inch of her chest. Her pants became something like leggings, tight fitting but easy to move in, and black. Her shoes turned to elegant knee high boots that would be easy to run in if the need ever arose. Silver vambraces appeared on her arms while a silver tear drop necklace appeared around her neck, the Norse symbol of protection carved into its surface. Her hair undid itself, untangling as it did. Locks of hair farthest to the left and right lifted up, pulled towards the center of the back of her head, and started braiding itself. Within minutes her hair was in what the Midgardians considered the classic elven hairstyle, showing off her pointed ears. Britta grinned when she noticed the shocked expressions on the two men's' faces and walked to the center of the room, spinning around dramatically. She didn't notice her tunic slip back into place, showing some of the top half of her chest.

"How do I look boys?" Britta asked playfully.

Tony looked over at Bruce and saw the man's mouth hanging wide open. He forced down a laugh and grinned at Britta. "Very nice, Alien. You look the part of an outer space chick now." He told her.

Britta smiled at that. "Good." She said, grabbing the teardrop hanging from her neck. "I'm going to talk to my brothers and I want them to know I haven't changed much." She told him. Britta twisted the teardrop between her fingers, remembering when she got it. She'd just come of age and the princes had wanted to get her something to show her that they were going to protect her even if she was now an acknowledged woman. Thor had thought of the necklace idea, picking out the perfect one. Loki had been the one to enchant it and make the rune actually work. Britta wore it every day though she hid it beneath a simple invisibility illusion so no one would grab it. If anything threatened Britta the necklace would instantly send some sort of signal to Thor and Loki so they'd know and come save her.

"Do you seriously think Patchy's going to let you talk to Loki?" Tony asked.

"Nope but that's why I'm not going to ask for permission." Britta said, shooting Tony a mischievous grin. Tony laughed and shook his head, turning back to his work. Britta took a step towards the door then stopped, biting her lip. She turned and quickly ran over to Bruce who quickly closed his mouth. "I can't control my beast but you can control yours. Be happy you can." Britta told him. She placed another kiss on his cheek, grabbed his jacket off the chair, and escaped the lab before he could protest.

Tony watched the doctor stare after the girl with his mouth hanging open in shock. "Admit it." He said, grinning as he did.

Bruce looked over at him then quickly turned back to his work. "I admit it." He said, barely loud enough for Tony to hear. The billionaire laughed, grinning triumphantly as he did. Bruce glanced over at the door to make sure Britta wasn't returning. "I understood her pillow joke, you know." He told the billionaire.

"You did?" Tony asked, sounding mildly surprised.

Bruce nodded absently. "I woke up at one point and saw her." He said.

Tony looked up at Bruce and had this look on his face that made Bruce chuckle. It was a look that said he knew something that Bruce wasn't acknowledging. "You didn't move away though. You let her use you as a pillow." Tony said, a grin appearing on his face once again.

"I didn't want to wake her." Bruce said quickly, not wanting Tony to jump to conclusions.

"You said that just a bit too quickly big guy." Tony said just as quickly. Bruce's cheeks heated up as he realized his mistake but didn't look over at Tony. "Face it, you've got a crush."

Bruce shook his head defiantly. "No I don't." He said firmly. Bruce did _not_ have a crush. He'd known the girl for a day! Besides, Betty may still love him...if she ever loved him. She had protected the Hulk, protected him, but he hadn't even so much as sent her a letter since he left New York. Who knew if she still cared about him?

"Yes you do." Tony said, as if Bruce was denying it. "Let me hook you guys up."

"Tony." Bruce said, giving Tony a stop it look.

"Oh come on! It wouldn't take much! I have a feeling she's into the silver fox thing." Tony grinned, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"That's not funny."

"One date! You could have it at the tower! I could make spaghetti for you!"

Bruce looked over at Tony, laughing a little. "Spaghetti? Really?" He asked, amused.

Tony nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah definitely! And you guys could have like cheesecake or something for desert." He said.

"Tony." Bruce said, using a no nonsense tone.

"Brucey." Tony said, using an only nonsense tone.

"No."

**Okay so you might have noticed I tweaked how long it's going to take Tony to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D. I'm adding a few scenes that can't take place in a one day time period. Which you probably already noticed me messing with their time on the Helicarrier but oh well.**


	14. Chatting with SHIELD

Thor was in the control room still. He'd gotten no sleep though that wasn't overly surprising, he never was a good sleeper when he was stressed. Back on Asgard he would usually have gone out to the training courtyard to blow off steam but this was not Asgard. This place, this Helicarrier, had nothing that could accommodate the strength of a god. So the god was practically a ticking time bomb of pint up emotions. Which of course meant Britta just had to find him so they could have a conversation that would definitely lead to something being broken.

Britta walked into the control room and spotted Thor right away. He was the biggest one in the room and the only one with perfect wavy golden hair. She walked over, ignoring all the looks and thoughts she was receiving, and heard the end of something Thor was saying to Coulson. "Big antlers." Thor said, raising his hands up beside his head to mimic antlers. "You don't have those?" He asked in confusion, looking kind of shocked.

Coulson smiled and so did Britta. "I don't think so." He said, shaking his head.

"Well they are repulsive and they trample everything in their path." Thor answered sadly.

"Talking about Bilgesnipe are you?" Britta asked, catching their attention. Both men turned to look at her but when they saw how she looked they stopped. Thor grinned wildly, overjoyed to see Britta looking so normal, while Coulson looked surprised, shocked by such a weird yet stunning sight. Britta grinned at them, stopping just a foot from them. She turned to Coulson. "I wish you could see them Phil. They _are_ repulsive but they are such fascinating creatures. You would enjoy watching them until they spotted you. Then you would enjoy slaying them." Britta told him earnestly. Coulson smiled and Britta grinned back, moving over to Thor. She wrapped an arm around his waist and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Beside each other they looked so confident in themselves, in their appearances, that they seemed almost normal. Britta smiled up at Thor, remembering the good old days on Asgard when doing so was normal. "Why are you talking of the creatures brother? Are you regaling Phil with stories of our realm?" She asked him.

Thor raised his eyebrows at her in surprise. "You still consider yourself apart of it? After so many years?" He asked her.

Britta looked up at him, her surprise a little more forced than his as she realized his was valid. She had left without warning and it had probably seemed to be easy for her to leave by everyone she left behind. It hadn't been of course but she had never gotten the chance to tell them that. "Of course! I was raised there was I not? I played with you there, learned with you there, grew with you there. I will always consider Asgard apart of me." Britta told her old friend. Thor's grin widened and his eyes shined cheerfully. Britta grinned at him before turning to Coulson. "So what were you two talking about Phil?" She asked.

"Thor was just telling me about your people." Phil answered.

"On how we act the part of gods but in reality we are no better than mortals." Thor explained.

Britta's jaw dropped and she stared up at Thor with huge wide eyes. "What?" She asked in amazement. Thor shifted awkwardly, his face turning the lightest shade of pink. "_You're_ telling him that? _You_? _Thor_. The warrior to came to Midgard and _declared_ himself a god and above the mortals? _What_ in Odin's name happened to you to make you change your mind?" Britta asked, staring at Thor as if he'd just grown a second head.

"When I was here last I met an extraordinary woman." Thor told her. Britta's jaw dropped further.

"Ah so you never did like Sif. That's great!" Britta said excitedly, grinning. Thor chuckled a little, his cheeks pink. A thought occurred to Britta. "Oh gods Thor! Sif must be so jealous of this woman!" She said, laughing a little as she pictured Sif's angry face.

Thor stared at her in confusion, an eyebrow raised. "Why would Sif be jealous of Lady Jane?" He asked.

"Oh is Jane her name? Very pretty. Oh and Sif would be jealous because Sif has wanted you to court her since we were children." Britta said quickly, her grin widening. "Oh Thor you must tell me what's happened while I've been gone! Focusing much on this Lady Jane of course!" She said excitedly.

"To tell you of Jane is to tell you of Loki." Thor said softly. His expression immediately fell, sorrow replacing his confusion.

Britta's heart hammered against her chest and she leaned into Thor, the only bit of comfort she could give her friend without embarrassing him. "I must know of that too." She said gently. Thor nodded a little, his eyes swimming with memories. Britta bit her lip, knowing she was going to regret her next words later. "Loki is my brother too after all."

Thor looked over at her, a small smile appearing on his lips. He was about to say something but whatever it was was drowned out by Fury's voice. "Speaking of Loki." He said and the two Asgardians turned to look at him. Fury was staring solely at Thor, ignoring Britta completely. "You think you can make him tell us where the Tesseract is?" He asked.

"I do not know." Thor said truthfully.

"I could." Britta said immediately afterwards. Both men looked at her, Thor with doubt and Fury with disapproval. "I was his best friend. I am his sister. He is bitter towards me and I can use his anger to find out what I want." She said, sounding eager. This was her chance to talk to Loki with permission. There would be no repercussions for talking to her old friend if she could convince Fury she could trick him. "I am the Goddess of Tricks. Finding out his plan would be an impressive trick that I could manage easily." Britta told him.

"Isn't Loki the God of Lies? Couldn't he just lie to you?" Coulson asked.

Britta smiled a little. "Yes, he is, but a trick and a lie can be the same thing." She told him. Thor smiled a little, remembering the days they got those titles. It had been interesting to say the least and both had played a massive amount of pranks on the guests at their banquet. Thor alone had been spared up until he left. Then the two had ambushed him and he'd spent the night hanging by his foot from the ceiling. "I can see through him. He can see through me too but that doesn't mean I can not trick him." Britta said.

Fury shook his head and Britta's excitement immediately popped like a bubble. "No. I don't trust you with Loki." He told her.

Thor frowned, furious that the one eyed man would distrust Britta. She would never do anything that would lead to the harm of others, at least not on purpose. Still, he couldn't help being a little relieved. "It is for the best Britta. Loki's mind is far afield. It's not just power he craves it's vengeance upon me." He told her. Britta frowned sadly, wondering what could have possibly happened to make her friend like that. "There's no pain that would prize his need from him." Thor said sadly.

Fury took a step forward, coming down the stairs he was standing at the top of. "A lot of guys think that till the pain starts." He said and Britta felt a chill go down her spine. That was why she didn't trust the man, why she wouldn't take orders from him. His methods and his actions were horrid and against practically everything she believed in. Orders were not her thing. Rules were not her thing. Listening to crazy one eyed men was definitely not her thing.

The two Asgardians stared at Fury, neither one liking him very much. "What are you asking me to do?" Thor asked. Of course Fury would only want something only from the warrior. He didn't see Britta as useful. He saw her as a liability. Someone he should keep in a cage.

"I'm asking, what are you prepared to do?" Fury said, staring intently at Thor. Britta glared at the Director, hating him more and more by the second. He was asking if Thor was prepared to kill his own brother and it made Britta want to scream.

_**"Let me attack him. One simple punch, that's all I ask."**_Grid begged.

_"I'm debating it." _Britta responded truthfully. Grid let out an excited squeal and pushed against her control, begging and begging to let her out.

"Then why do I feel like he's the only person on this boat that wants to be here?" Fury asked.

_"Dammit Grid. You made me miss Thor's response." _Britta said angrily, shoving Grid back away from control. Britta pulled away from Thor, grabbing his hand as she did. "Come brother." She said briskly, walking towards the doors. Thor stumbled as she pulled him along but didn't look upset by it. He actually seemed glad she was getting him away from Fury.

Of course, Fury wasn't just going to let them leave. He suddenly stepped out in front of them, making Britta stop abruptly. She glared daggers at him but he seemed unaffected by it. "Where do you think you're going?" Fury asked flatly.

Thor squeezed Britta's hand, silently telling her not to do anything stupid. Thor didn't like the one eyed man, mostly because Britta didn't and she could read minds, but he wasn't going to let her attack the man. "I'm taking my old friend and brother somewhere private so he can tell me exactly what I missed in the past two thousand years. Do you want to come along and spoil our reunion Director Fury?" Britta snapped angrily. Like usual, everyone watched them carefully. Pretty much all of them stared at Britta, stunned by her change of appearance, but some stared at Fury to see how he'd respond. Britta waited in furious patience for the Director to speak but he didn't. He just glared at her before finally stepping out of her way. "Thank you Patchy." Britta said angrily before dragging Thor from the room. Britta took him to the interrogation room she'd destroyed, now minus the glass covered floor, and sat down at the now upright desk. "Tell me everything." Britta practically begged once Thor sat down. He nodded and began telling her everything she'd missed in the past two thousand years.


	15. What You Missed

**Originally I wasn't going to write this chapter, I was just going to skip straight to her talking to a certain mischief maker, but I thought I might as well write it. It might suck at parts but I hope you guys like it.**

Thor decided to start with her departure, knowing she was probably dying to know how everyone had reacted. "Heimdall told us of your fleeing." He began. Britta slowly got up and started to pace the room, hugging Bruce's jacket close to her stomach. She'd had it draped over her arm since she left the lab but she couldn't help holding onto it like a lifeline. "Loki would not speak and whenever someone tried to get him to he would glare at them so coldly they would immediately leave him be. I believe it would have been better if Loki had told us, at least he would have showed emotion. You know how Heimdall is." Thor said.

Britta chuckled a little. "Yes, I remember well Heimdall's calm face." She told him. Britta flinched a little when she repeated that sentence in her head, once more shocked by how easily she slipped back into Asgardian talk. She didn't like it all that much, not after all these years of speaking as a Midgardian. She sounded so foreign even to herself.

The God of Thunder nodded, looking solemn. "You would have cried had you seen the reactions to Heimdall's words." He told her. Britta flinched but didn't tell him to stop. She needed to hear everything. "Mother sobbed, loudly and unstopping. You were so much like a daughter to her that your leaving broke her heart." Britta felt shame wash over her, she had known the good queen would act that way. Frigga had only given her to the servants to raise because she could not take in the girl herself without raising a lot of suspicion. The queen had made up for not adopting her by treating her like her own child. Thor saw her shame and her guilt and very nearly decided to stop. He would have to tell her about the others and if she got this upset over Frigga alone he thought she'd end up sobbing by the time he was over. Still, he knew she needed to know these things. "She still hasn't gotten over your absence. You can see the sadness in her eyes when mothers bring their daughters to the palace. When your name is accidentally brought up she leaves the room soon after and disappears for hours."

"I never intended to hurt her." Britta whispered.

"I know and she knew too." Thor told her quickly. Britta wiped at her eyes, stopping the tears before they could fall. "Britta, you must know that mother was not angry with you. She understood you better than most and thus she understood why you left." Thor said, hoping to make her feel better.

Britta smiled at the golden haired warrior, knowing what he was doing. Thor knew his words did not make her feel much better but he was glad he had helped her at least a little. "How did Sif and the Warriors Three react?" She asked, trying to push the topic away from the woman she wished had been her mother.

Thor smiled sadly. "Volstagg was upset, you were always very kind to him and you were the only one who would not insult his mighty appetite. Hogun did not show much emotion though he regretted you leaving since he enjoyed studying healing with you. Fandral made jokes about missing your beauty to try and lighten the mood but he was genuinely upset, mostly because he enjoyed making you mad and embarrassed with his advances." He told her.

"I assume Fandral's love of women has not changed over the years." Britta said with a slight smile.

"Not in the slightest." Thor informed her with a smile of his own.

Britta chuckled slightly before feeling a sudden wave of morbid curiosity. Surprisingly, Grid had nothing to do with it. "And how did dearest Sif react?" She asked, sounding horribly bitter.

Thor winced before anger started to bubble up inside him. "She would act very upset when you were mentioned. So upset that it was obvious she was acting." He said, his voice low with anger. Britta chuckled darkly, finding it horribly amusing that the girl would be so stupid. "We would catch her smiling when she thought no one was looking and it made us hate her for a very long time. Loki played many pranks on her, none of which I or anyone else reprimanded him for." He said.

"I swear to maim her someday Thor. She has done me too much wrong for me to do anything else." Britta said furiously. A thought occurred to her and she grinned evilly. "I'll even let Grid and Nanna at her. It'll make my millennium." She said, her eyes shining with malevolent mischief. The voices in her head cheered with anticipation. Both had wanted to beat the warrior maiden since they first started adoring Britta.

Thor smiled, thinking that he would not stop Britta from extracting the revenge she deserved. "Her horridness towards you is part of the reason I never courted her dear sister." He told her.

Britta's face suddenly lit up with a bright wild smile. "Thor, really?" She asked, sounding overjoyed. When Thor nodded she let out a squeal of delight and raced over to him, giving him a gigantic hug. Thor chuckled and smiled when she broke away, practically dancing back to her side of the table. She plopped down in her seat and smiled brightly at him. Thor did not want to quench her happiness but he had to tell her how he'd felt when she left.

"You didn't tell me goodbye." Thor practically whispered.

Immediately Britta's smile disappeared and was quickly replaced with sorrow. "You would have tried to talk me out of it. You wouldn't just let me leave." She whispered back.

"You told Loki." There was an accusation in his tone. He was accusing her of caring about Loki more, of liking him best.

"I wouldn't have told him if I could have." Britta told him, a desperate need for him to understand in her voice. "He argued with me and I nearly broke down. I nearly stayed. If you had been there I would have stayed and I would have lived my life out in pain. The only reason I told Loki is because I thought he would tell tell the rest of you."

"He didn't." Thor said flatly.

"Well how was I supposed to know he wouldn't!?" Britta shouted back, Grid pressing on her control.

Thor remained quiet for a moment, letting her get Grid back under control, before speaking again. "You left. My little sister and you just left. Gave me no warning nor left any type of note." He said. His tone was sorrowful but there was a clear undertone of anger. Britta felt guilt roll around in her stomach and make her sick. She buried her face in Bruce's jacket, breathing in the strange smell for comfort. "I searched for you." Britta felt tears rise in her eyes but she forced them back down. "I searched everywhere on Midgard where I thought you would be. Loki refused to help me when I could not find you. He said you could not and would not be found."

Britta lifted her face up out of Bruce's jacket and Thor could see clearly how shame made her face bright red. "I am sorry." She whispered.

"I searched for years and all you have to say is sorry!?" Thor shouted, glaring at her. He could not keep his anger in any longer. "I wanted you back home Britta! I wanted my mother to stop crying, for my brother to smile again, for my friends to stop avoiding your name at all costs! But no, you hid! You ran like a coward!" He shouted at her.

"Coward?!" Britta shouted, leaping to her feet. Her chair crashed to the ground, somehow making her shout even louder. A sharp pain shot through her head as Grid very nearly took control and she dropped to her knees, pressing her fists to her head. Thor got up from his seat immediately and moved to her side, kneeling down beside her so he could peer into her pain filled face. Even when he was furious with her he still cared about her. Britta looked up at him, pain in her eyes that wasn't just from the headache. "I had to run Thor. Please believe me, I _had_ _to_ run." She whispered to him. Memories were threatening to be remembered but Britta didn't want them. She didn't want to feel the pain all over again.

Thor very nearly flinched away at the emotion in her voice. It was begging, hurt, broken. He had not heard her voice sound that way for many years. Not since she was trying to fight her insanity and would beg and plead for them to just kill her. Thor was not good with the weaker side of emotions but he knew the basics of how to deal with them. He offered his arms to Britta who instantly buried her face in his shoulder, fighting back tears and memories. She was shaking and Grid was trying so hard to take over.

_**"I don't want him near you. You don't need him."** _Grid snarled furiously.

_"I need people Grid! Stop, please!" _Britta screamed, her head pounding. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and decided she _had_ to distract herself from Grid. "How did the Allfather react?" She asked, her voice muffled by Thor's chest.

Thor sighed, he knew she was going to ask that eventually. Britta always did ask questions that would hurt her. "He expected your departure though he admitted he thought you would leave earlier than you did." Thor admitted sadly. Britta nodded, she had actually expected that. "He was sad of course and very worried. He did not want you on your own with that evil creature inside your head and you unable to control her."

Britta winced as Grid screamed furiously inside her head about ripping out Thor's throat for calling her something as insulting as "creature." She pulled away from Thor and quickly picked up her chair so she could sit. Thor sensed her need for distance and returned to his seat on the other side of the table. "Tell me what happened later. Tell me of what happened after the first year." Britta said briskly, not looking at the golden haired warrior.

"You wish me to tell you of the second year of constant searching we did for you?" Thor asked, a slight glare appearing on his face. Britta grimaced but mostly she looked shocked. That only seemed to make Thor angrier. "What? Did you think we would give up so easily? We searched for two years before father stopped us." He told her.

"We?" Britta asked in confusion. He had said Loki refused to search with him so who could have possibly gone with him?

"The Warriors Three helped me when they saw how Loki refused to." Thor said, sounding furious.

Britta hugged Bruce's jacket so tight that it actually kind of hurt and focused her eyes firmly on the table's surface. "Loki hates me doesn't he?" She whispered.

Thor shrugged, turning away from her so that he could glare at the wall with all his anger. "I do not know. He would not speak for the first year about you and whenever your name was mentioned afterwards he'd leave in a storm." He said in a horribly casual way. He didn't look over at her, knowing his words and his tone had hurt her. Thor didn't like hurting Britta but he needed to get his anger out. Family was one of the most important things and she had just walked out on hers. On him, on Loki, on their dear mother and father. "He started sulking even more after you left us and none of us could bring him out of it, not like you could have."

"So I am the reason for his darkness?" Britta asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

"I cannot lie, you are part of it. He was never the same after his dearest friend left." Thor said. Britta felt tears rolling down her cheeks and she wiped them away furiously. Thor noticed and felt a wave of guilt wash over him. "It was my fault too dear sister. Please do not cry." He begged her.

"How was it your fault brother?" Britta asked in confusion. Thor's expression darkened and he opened his mouth to explain but Britta shook her head quite suddenly. "No do not tell me yet! Tell me of the two thousand years I missed! Tell me of whatever adventures you went on dear Thor! I want to hear mighty stories of bravery and valor!" She said, forcing herself to sound like her old self. The self that would beg dear older Thor to tell her thrilling stories when she was upset.

Thor nodded, glad for the postponing she was doing, and began to tell her everything he could remember that had happened while she was gone. Britta easily became enraptured in the battle stories he told her and made plenty of comments where comments were due. When Thor told her of the women he and Loki had flirted with Britta laughed loudly and criticized their choice in women which of course resulted in playful banter between the two. Britta made comments about the choices her two friends had made over the years and Thor couldn't help but smile. It was so like her to criticize them. Soon though he started running out of stories to tell her and she could sense them getting closer and closer to the story of Loki's fall into darkness.

"I am out of stories sister." Thor said regretfully.

"It was bound to happen eventually brother." Britta said sorrowfully. She sighed loudly and pulled on Bruce's jacket as if it could warm the coldness inside her that her dread had caused. "Go ahead and tell me Thor. We can't postpone it any longer." She told him.

Thor nodded absently, distracted for a second by the jacket Britta was now wearing. She seemed to like the Banner man who insulted their brother and Thor couldn't quite place why. He wondered what the man had done to deserve Britta's affection when she was such a distant soul. So like Loki. "You must remember that I have changed greatly since these events. Lady Jane has changed me greatly and I am not the man I was before." He told her.

Britta nodded understandingly. "I shan't forget it Thor. Tell me what happened." She told him.

"Father chose me to become king. A choice all but you and Loki seemed to expect." Thor said. Britta began to shoot him an angry look but then she noticed the slightly angry slightly regretful look on his face. He was actually upset that Loki had never been considered king material. Britta very nearly smiled at that. "Loki, as you would expect, was not pleased but he hid it well. I did not notice his lies of course, not with the triumph of becoming king clouding my eyes. I did not expect him to plot against me."

"I assume you found out about the plot much later." Britta said quickly.

"I wish I had known it sooner but yes I found out much later." Thor told her. Britta gave him a pitying look that he smiled somewhat thankfully at but mostly sadly. Thor sighed and decided to get the story over with. "During my coronation Loki somehow managed to get three Frost Giants into the palace. Just as our father was about to make me king he sensed the beasts beneath and had the Destroyer dispose of them. Father quickly left after that and of course I and Loki followed." He said.

"Did he know of his heritage then?" Britta asked curiously.

Thor gave her a sadly amused look. "Will you just let me tell you what happened?" He asked her jokingly. Britta smiled a little and silently pretended to lock her lips and throw away the key. Thor smiled a little then continued with his story. "I was enraged by the interruption in my coronation and also with the fact that Frost Giants had managed to get into Asgard. I told father we should go to Jotunheim and teach them a lesson but he told me no. I did not take that well which only made Loki's subtle manipulation work so much more." Thor said regretfully. Britta bit her lip to contain the questions she wanted to ask. Like if Thor would suggest the same thing if he could replay that moment. "Loki subtly put the idea of going to Jotunheim in my head and I foolishly latched onto the idea. I convinced my friends to go with me and Loki to that blasted place and put them into serious danger by doing so. Once there my temper and ignorant pride caused me to start a battle. I will not deny it was a great fight but my friends were injured and were forced to flee. They could not leave Jotunheim though as Heimdall refused to open the Bifrost if our return threatened Asgard. We were soon surrounded by the full of the Jotun army and were about to die when the Allfather came down through the Bifrost." Thor sounded like he hated himself while he spoke. Britta frowned sadly at him but she couldn't help feeling a massive amount of pride. Thor had changed so much and for the better too. Something she hadn't expected ever to happen though she did love Thor dearly. "Father managed to get us back to Asgard in one piece but my actions had nearly started a war. To punish me he banished me to Midgard. Stripping me of my powers, my immortality, and Mjolnir as he did."

Britta stared at him in shock. "He sent you here as banishment!? Without any type of defense?!" She asked, unable to keep her lips locked any longer.

"He did it for a reason and I admit that I am glad he did. Through him I met Jane who we all owe my changed temperament to." Thor told her.

"I will be meeting this Lady Jane eventually Thor. I swear to you I will." Britta told him, sounding as if there was no way she was going to get talked out of it. As if Thor would deny her the chance to meet Jane. "Any woman that can change my dearest Thor is worthy of a great many things." She said.

"I agree now let me continue." Thor told her, smiling lightly. Britta nodded and gestured for him to continue, her lips pressed together.

Thor then told her of Jane finding him and his first encounter with a hospital. Britta couldn't help but laugh at him for reacting the way he did which resulted her in promising to help Lady Jane teach him about Midgard should they ever get the chance. He told her of trying to retrieve Mjolnir and how he felt when he couldn't lift the one thing that had always been true to him. The soul crushed look that appeared on Thor's face at the memory made Britta glad she hadn't seen him when it actually happened. He must have looked like a broken man. When he told her of Loki's cruel lie about their father she was speechless. How could Loki do such an awful thing? When Thor told her of Doctor Selvig saving him from S.H.I.E.L.D containment she told him that she'd definitely be getting him back for Thor so she could meet him. Britta listened very carefully when he talked about what happened afterwards. Drinking with Selvig, sitting with Jane, spending a couple of days with the mortals. He made Lady Jane sound like an angel, a divine creature meant for the eyes only of the worthy. Britta would have loved to hear more about the wonderful woman but Thor eventually had to tell her of his friends coming to retrieve him from earth. He told her of Loki sending the Destroyer in extreme detail, like he hadn't told anyone else about that particular fight before. When he told her about his temporary death Britta looked like she was ready to cry. Thor was an amazing storyteller and the way he told her the tale made her forget that he was talking about himself. She couldn't believe Loki would try to kill his own brother but it was the truth. Thor would never tell her such a horrible thing if it was a lie. Britta was shaking by the time Thor started telling her about the fight between him and Loki at Heimdall's observatory. When he suddenly stopped after telling her of placing Mjolnir on Loki's chest she stared at him in confusion.

"What I tell you next will be very difficult to hear Britta. Are you sure you want to hear it?" Thor asked gently.

Britta wasn't sure she did but she couldn't tell him to stop. Not now when he was so close to the end of his story. "Continue Thor." She practically whispered though her tone held no room for argument.

Thor nodded sadly. "I could see no way to close the Bifrost as I stood there with Loki yelling taunts behind me. There was no way to close the Bifrost...so I had to destroy it." Britta's eyes widened dramatically as she stared at him in shock. "I summoned Mjolnir and I destroyed the Rainbow Bridge. There was no other way. I had to stop the Bifrost. I begged Jane to forgive me before delivering the final blow." Thor's eyes darkened with sadness as he thought about Jane now, hidden away without any knowledge of him being there. He swallowed down the sadness though, not wanting to feel the guilt that came with it. "The Bridge shattered, blasting me and Loki skywards and sending the observatory falling into the depths of space. We fell over the edge of the broken Bridge, Loki and I grabbing Gungnir at the same time. I was sure we were going to die but then I felt someone grab my ankle. I looked up and saw father keeping us from falling over the edge and into space." He said. Britta smiled softly, of course it would be Odin who saved the two boys. He was their father after all. "Loki tried to appeal to father, tried to get him to believe that all he had done was for the good of the realm. Looking back now I think Loki truly believed that all his choices had been justified. Father told Loki no though he did not say it harshly. He sounded sad." Britta tried to picture a sad looking Odin but she couldn't. In all her years she'd only seen him stern faced or smiling ever so slightly. "I think in that moment the last of Loki's love for home disappeared. I think that was the moment he decided he could no longer live as an Asgardian. I think at that moment he condemned home forever. His expression became solemn, decided. He-." Thor paused, trying to squash down his emotions. "He let go of Gungnir and fell into the vacuum of space."


	16. Talking to an Old Friend

Britta felt awful for leaving Thor by himself but she couldn't handle it anymore. The second he told her about Loki dropping into space she ran out of the interrogation room, trying like crazy to not cry her eyes out. Loki had changed so much. So drastically. Loki blamed everything on Thor and so of course the golden haired warrior blamed himself. Britta didn't think it was Thor's fault though. She was the one that always made him feel better about himself. She would tell Loki all the time she thought he would make a great king. Loki would never have noticed being in Thor's shadow if she had been there to drag him out of it.

**_"Where are you going?"_**Nanna asked curiously.

_"Loki's cage. I need to talk to him." _Britta answered, rounding a corner. She spotted Tony and Bruce working in their lab as she ran by. They waved but she didn't wave back, too focused on getting to Loki's cell. _"I have to know why he's doing what he is." _Britta said.

**_"Thor told you in the control room. Loki is trying to hurt Thor."_**Nanna pointed out.

Britta shook her head. _"That isn't it, not all of it anyways. Loki wouldn't do something like this if all he wanted was to get back at Thor. There has to be something else." _She explained. Britta stopped in front of the door to Loki's cell, her heart hammering against her chest. She took a deep breath, used magic to open the "secure" door, and walked in.

Loki lazily turned his head to look at her but when he saw who it was he perked up a little. Britta watched him carefully as she slowly walked up to the platform Fury had stood on. She knew her slightly red eyes were visible and she knew Loki took note of them immediately. Britta stopped directly in front of him and they stared at each other, silently evaluating each other. Loki couldn't deny being pleased about her appearance change. She looked so normal, so like her old self. The girl who had known him better than anyone else. He didn't even mind the doctor's jacket around her that much. Britta was not as pleased as him though. All she could see were his changes. "You are not supposed to be here." He said lazily, finally getting bored with the silence.

Britta snorted and Loki smirked. "As if their rules could keep me away from here." She said, smiling a little.

"You never were good with rules." Loki said offhandedly.

"Neither were you." Britta pointed out. They both smiled, remembering the many different occasions they'd broken the rules back in Asgard. They'd had so much fun as children. It had been them against the world in their minds and they had loved it. Britta cleared her throat, trying to get rid of the lump that had formed in her throat. "It's been a while, Lo." She said conversationally.

Loki rolled his eyes. "Really Britt? It seems like ten minutes to me." He said sarcastically. There was a fierce glare in his eyes though, one that told Britta he was more than just a little angry at her absence.

Britta looked at the ground. "I had to leave. You know I had to." She practically whispered.

"Did you?" Loki asked and Britta winced. He didn't believe her. Of course he didn't but it still hurt. Britta could hear some of his thoughts and she frowned deeply, he thought she had abandoned him. He thought she hadn't even tried to stay.

"Loki I stayed for years after my insanity disappeared! I let them use me all because I didn't want to leave you by yourself!" Britta shouted at her old friend. Loki kept glaring and Britta clenched her hands into lethal fists. "After you know what I stayed for a whole year! I tried to stay but it didn't work!" She shouted. The memories she had tried so hard to keep back pushed to the front of her mind and Britta nearly cried out as she remembered.

When the very few politicians in Asgard found out about Britta's mind reading and controlling abilities they had instantly wanted to use her. She could tell them if the people they were signing treaties with were going to backstab them. She could tell if someone was planning on attacking them. Britta had been fine with finding things like that out for them. She had wanted to help Asgard. But then they wanted her to control the minds of rulers who didn't want to sign treaties with them. Britta hadn't wanted to do that. She hadn't wanted to control people but they kept insisting that it was for the good of the realm, that she should be doing whatever she could to help the realm. Britta had reluctantly done as they ordered, each time her depression and anger growing. Grid got more powerful with each passing day as Britta continued to suffer. Finally at one banquet when the Allfather told her to force one man to sign a treaty the man didn't agree with Britta had snapped. Grid had come out and scared everyone. The evil girl had been gone for years by then, everyone thought Britta had a lid on her. When she showed up it took them all about five minutes to react even when Grid tried to kill the Allfather.

They guards had managed to knock Grid out, restoring Britta to control, just before she could do any real damage to their king. Britta had apologized over and over again and the Allfather had forgiven her. He'd made a law saying no one was allowed to use Britta for anything she didn't want and that had been the end of her mind controlling career. Afterwards though no one would look at her without fear. When people saw her coming they'd run and hide. They'd put their kids indoors. They'd pray that she'd just keep going. Only Loki and Thor would really talk to her after that but it hadn't been enough. Britta couldn't handle the constant fear and so she fled, only saying goodbye to Loki before going to Midgard.

"You barely tried." Loki snarled out, bringing her back to reality.

"I tried plenty!" Britta shouted back, taking a step forward. She wanted to go straight through the glass. She wanted to grab Loki by the throat and shake him till he understood. "I tried Loki! It's kind of hard to try though when you can hear everyone calling you a dangerous freak in their heads!" Britta's voice cracked and she cursed, wiping at the tears pouring out of her eyes. Loki watched her and for the first time ever the disgust in his eyes was pointed at her. Britta felt physically sick beneath his eyes and she growled slightly. "Stop Loki. Stop." She begged him quietly. Loki just glared at her and Britta heard his thoughts. "I didn't abandon you!" She shouted, anger replacing her hurt. "I told you to come with me! I knew you wouldn't be happy on your own so I offered! _You're_ the one who abandoned _me_!" She shouted.

"You think I could have came along?" Loki asked furiously, his voice low and terrifying. "I was a prince of Asgard then. I could not leave my responsibilities to follow my pathetic friend who couldn't handle a few whispered words and some fearful looks." He spat at her.

Britta winced but snarled too. "Stop insulting me Loki. You know I don't take kindly to insults from idiots." She practically growled at him. Loki's eyes narrowed dangerously, he hated being called an idiot. Britta knew it too which was exactly why she said it. She took a deep breath, calming herself. "And you could have left you just didn't want to. You wanted to stay with your family." She said.

"They are not my family!" Loki shouted, hitting the glass with his fist. A small barely noticeable crack appeared there which surprised Britta more than it frightened her. Maybe Loki really had gotten stronger since she was away.

"Yes they are!" Britta shouted back almost immediately. Loki snarled and turned away, pacing angrily about his cell. "Family isn't blood Loki! Family is the people you share a bond with! Thor is your brother by bond!" She shouted at him.

Loki stopped for a second so that she could feel the full intensity of his glare. Britta wanted to scream and run away but she stood still, her muscles tense. He had never looked at her with so much anger. He'd never looked at her like that before. Back when they were kids. Back when they were friends. "Why should I listen to the halfwit girl with voices in her head?" Loki asked mockingly.

Britta found herself so close to the glass that her breath was fogging it. She didn't care though, she was shaking in anger. Grid was screaming to be let out while Nanna was trying desperately to calm Britta down. It wasn't working though. Britta was too mad. "Maybe because she knows what idiocy you're playing with!" She shouted. Loki let out a growl like huff, resuming his pacing. "Do you not see what you're doing?! You're playing with the Tesseract! You're going insane!" She shouted.

"The Tesseract is power." Loki said calmly.

"The Tesseract is madness!" Britta practically screamed. She slammed her fist into the glass, cracking it. Her fist ached but she didn't notice. Grid was fogging her vision, slowly taking over while Britta raged. Loki looked over at her, not all that surprised by her rage. He was used to seeing her angry. She had a temper even before her encounter with the Tesseract. "I told you this! I answered every question you asked! You know what the Tesseract does!" She shouted.

"I know what it does to the weak." Loki answered immediately, his eyes shining maliciously. Britta snarled and she noticed Grid sharing control with her, fueling Britta's anger with her natural aggression. Right now Britta agreed with Grid, it would be wonderful to beat Loki to a bloody pulp. "You were never very strong Britta. You were nothing more than a Halfling girl trying to prove herself worthy." Loki smiled in a way that made her sick.

Britta's head was pounding and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. "You're one to talk." She said. No, Grid said. Britta was letting her speak now, she was too furious for words. Loki raised an eyebrow at her, still smiling. "All you've done is just the acts of a tantrum throwing Frost Giant runt trying to get attention." Grid mocked.

Loki's smile slipped, replaced with cold fury. He recognized the change in lights in her eyes but that didn't quench his anger. "Grid. How nice to see you." He said, his voice low and filled with a growl. Grid nodded at him, smiling sweetly. Loki was shaking slightly, his anger nearing impossible for him to control. "She knew?" He asked gruffly.

"Of course she knew. She can read minds Loki." Grid said in a "no duh" tone. She was grinning away, loving this little bit of shared control she was getting. Britta had never been mad enough to give her control and she had definitely never been mad enough to _want_ her help. Loki always was capable of bringing out the worst in Britta though. It was almost delicious.

Someone suddenly pounded on the door leading into the room and the two Asgardians turned to see who it was. Steve Rogers face was just barely visible in the door's window. He was staring at Britta, his eyes silently telling her to leave Loki's prison immediately. The Halfling girl sighed, reluctantly pushing Grid back. Grid allowed herself to be pushed back though, satisfied for once with her brief let out. Loki glared at Britta as she walked towards the door, displeased that she was leaving before he could get back at her from keeping the secret of his parentage from him. Of course he wouldn't have been able to do all that he wanted to her since he was waiting for the right moment to escape. All he would have been able to do was yell and that would have not done him any good, just made him madder.

Britta paused at the door, looking back at Loki. The God of Mischief glared at her and she sighed heavily, missing the friend she once had. "I missed you Loki." She said truthfully. Loki didn't reply though his eyes showed the slightest sign of surprise. Britta smiled sadly before leaving.

Steve grabbed her arm the second she was out of Loki's prison and started dragging her down the hall. Britta let herself be dragged, a heavy weight settling on her shoulders and chest. She wanted to go to sleep. She wanted to curl up and slip into unconsciousness and not speak to anyone for days. Finally Steve stopped when they were in a secluded little part of the Helicarrier and he turned to her, a glare on his face. "What were you thinking!?" He asked furiously.

"I was thinking he's my brother and I wanted to talk to him." Britta whispered, her heart broken. Loki, her best friend, her brother, hated her. He had glared at her. He had insulted her. He'd made her so mad she'd let Grid come out to play willingly.

Steve's anger melted away immediately. She looked heart broken, like a puppy put out in the rain. She looked just as hurt as she had outside his apartment when she was hating herself for "ruining his life." Steve still didn't consider it her fault but he knew she wasn't ever going to forgive herself. That didn't mean he couldn't comfort her though. Steve opened his arms and Britta stared at him uncertainly, as if she thought he might change his mind. The soldier nodded though and Britta ran into his arms, seeking the comfort only human contact could give her. Steve was surprised by how tightly she held onto him, how desperately she clung to him. It was like she hadn't been hugged in ages. Surely the girl had had friends during her two thousand years on earth. She couldn't seriously be starved for contact, could she?

Britta buried her face in the soldier's chest, tears pouring out of her eyes as she broke down. Her tears stained his shirt and she felt horrible for it but she really needed the comfort. Like more than she had expected. "He h-ha-hates me!" Britta sobbed, clinging to the super soldier. Steve held her, unsure whether he should say anything or just stay silent. He chose silence since he was absolutely horrid at words in these situations. "He in-insulted me! B-br-broke m-my heart!" She sobbed.

For what seemed like eternity they stood there, Britta sobbing and Steve wondering what he should say. Finally, when Britta calmed just a bit, he decided it would be a good time to speak. "Britta." He began.

Britta suddenly pulled away from him, looking horrorstricken. Steve stared at her in shock, unsure of what he'd done to create that response. "Oh gods Steve! You shouldn't have had to do that! Not _you_! Of all people _you_ should not be the one who has to comfort _me_!" She said. She'd ruined his life, she didn't deserve to be comforted by him. Britta wiped at her eyes furiously, unable to stop the tears pouring down. "I'm so sorry. I just want to take a break. I want to escape reality. Like now." She said quickly, her voice shaking. Britta took a deep breath and suddenly fell forward into Steve, unconscious.

"Britta! Britta wake up!" Steve shouted, worried. He shifted her around in his arms so that he could see her face. He was shocked to see it changing, shifting. Her features became softer, more cheerful. Her hair turned a gorgeous gold that shined almost blindingly. Slowly the girl opened her eyes and it was very clear by the light in her eyes this wasn't Britta anymore. "Please tell me you're not Grid." Steve said worriedly.

The girl laughed a bright bubbly laugh that made Steve smile a little. "No, I'm definitely not Grid." She said. Gently the girl pulled out of Steve's arms, straightening her, Britta's, shirt as she did. Steve noticed and blushed when his eyes immediately fell on the exposed part of her chest. He looked away quickly and Nanna didn't notice as she adjusted the shoulders to hide the exposed skin. "I'm Nanna. Britt's mentioned me a few times." She said, peeking up at Steve from under long lashes. She smiled sweetly at him though she looked a little sad. "Thank you for comforting her." Nanna said sadly.

Steve blushed though he wasn't sure why. "She needed comfort." He said awkwardly.

Nanna smiled again. "Yeah, she really did. It's been a really long time since she's actually had contact with people." She said, nodding. Nanna knew she could give away a few things about Britta in safety now, the girl was nestled in unconsciousness right now. She wouldn't be awake for another couple of hours or so. Steve looks shocked, like he can't believe it. Nanna laughs bitterly. "Yeah, she's good at hiding it isn't she? You'd never guess she was literally starving for touch." There was a horribly sad look on the obviously naturally cheerful girl's face that made Steve frown sadly.

"You really care for her don't you?" Steve asked.

"Is it that obvious?" Nanna asked with a smiled. Steve nodded and she laughed a little. It was true, she cared for Britta. You can't spend centuries in someone's head and not care for them. "Yeah, Steve, I care about her. Grid does too, though she'll never admit it. We've been in her head forever, it's kind of hard not to care." She admitted.

**_"Well don't give away all our secrets Nan."_**Grid growled furiously. The other girl didn't appreciate someone knowing about her stupid affection for the pathetic controller of their body. Nanna smiled slightly, nudging Grid somewhat playfully.

Steve smiled and Nanna shifted awkwardly, feeling an unquestionable need to admit things to the soldier. "Britta's ability to hide her problems is kind of mine and Grid's fault." She admitted, blushing when Steve looked at her in shock. "We taught her a long time ago how to use jokes and cheerfulness and sarcasm and snark to get out of showing her true emotions. We didn't know she was going to use them so often. We had no clue she was going to build up such a mask." Nanna said sadly.

"So she's nothing like how she acts?" Steve asked.

"Oh no she is! Just not as much!" Nanna said quickly. Grid started making alarm bell sounds, telling the cheerful girl to shut up before she screwed up and told even more of Britta's secrets. Nanna quickly put on a huge cheerful grin. "But enough about Britta! Let's talk about how unbelievably hot you are!" She said excitedly, staring at the soldier's muscles with an easily conjured up hungry look in her eyes. Steve blushed bright red and Nanna grinned almost evilly, thinking this was going to be fun.

**Alright everybody I hope you liked those last two chapters! I don't know when the next one will be up, I've been getting super distracted and haven't been writing that much, but I'll try my best to make it soon. Chocolate and candy for all!**


	17. Angry Pirate

It didn't take long for Fury to find out Britta had gone and talked to Loki. She was called to the control room five minutes later and Nanna groaned, not wanting to go. Steve told her she had to, though he was smiling a little, and rushed off. Apparently he had been going to investigate something when he noticed Britta in Loki's prison. Nanna pouted a little, wishing he would go with her to the control room so she wouldn't have to face Fury alone, but she went ahead and walked to the control room.

"Ahoy Captain Fury!" Nanna said cheerfully, walking into the control room. Her voice was a degree higher than Britta's so the Director instantly knew without looking that she wasn't who he had called for. Nanna, who had no problems with reading other's thoughts all the time, heard him silently judging if she was Grid or not. "I'm Nanna, not Grid. I'm sweet, not evil." She told the Director. He turned around, giving her the evil eye for reading his thoughts.

_**"That's debatable."**_A very sleepy, just barely out of unconsciousness, Britta mumbled. Nanna smiled a little while Grid grumbled her agreement.

"Where is she?" Fury asked briskly, obviously annoyed.

Nanna gestured offhandedly to her head. "Up here. She's asleep." She told him before lacing her fingers in her hair. She hadn't been in control for this long in a while. Britta only ever let her out for this long when she seriously needed a break from reality. That didn't happen too often but everything seemed to be trying to break the girl down lately. Nanna kind of resented Agent Coulson for dragging Britta into all this.

"Wake her up." Fury ordered.

Nanna crossed her arms over her chest and smiled up at Fury in a terrifying sickeningly sweet way. "I don't take orders from pirates." She said snarkily. Fury's eye narrowed in anger but Nanna just kept smiling, pleased that she'd angered him. No one ordered Nanna around except Britta and occasionally Grid. "Besides, you wouldn't want to talk to a grumpy Britta. She'll bite your head off." She added.

Fury glared viciously at Nanna. "I. Don't. Care." He told her, sounding very impatient. Nanna rolled her eyes in annoyance, thinking it would be awesome if the Director would just shut up and leave everyone alone. "Wake her up and get her out here now or I'll be putting you, her, that psycho, and anyone else inside her head into a cage." He said.

Nanna growled furiously. She may be way nicer than Grid but if you messed with Britta you were going to get yelled at. "Listen here Fury." She said furiously, glaring at the one eyed man who glared back. "If you even think about putting her in a cage I won't be nice anymore. I'll throw you off the side of this stupid ship." Nanna growled.

Britta immediately shoved Nanna back, removing the spell so that she looked like her again. "And that's why I should never be allowed near Fury ladies and gentlemen!" She said jokingly, grinning away at everyone while inside she was screaming. Nanna hid behind Grid in shame, not wanting to get attacked by a raging Britta. "So whatcha need Fury?" Britta asked cheerfully.

"I want to know exactly why you decided to talk to the madman in the cage." Fury said furiously.

"He was once my brother, Fury. I had a right to talk to him, to find out the truth." Britta said, sounding extremely tired. "Not that I actually found out what I wanted to." She said furiously, sounding incredibly upset. All she had done was fight with Loki. The only thing she had found out was that he hated her. That his mind was too twisted to be fixed. Britta wanted to cry. She pulled the collar of Bruce's jacket up and breathed in his strange scent, trying to comfort herself.

Fury glared at her for a second before turning to Agent Romanoff who was staring at a computer monitor showing Loki pacing angrily in his cell. "Agent Romanoff, go find out what you can. Try to fix the mess this girl has made." He ordered the redhead, shooting Britta a disapproving look.

_**"Seriously, why haven't you let me punch him yet?"** _Grid asked while Britta watched the redhead leave the room.

_"Because I'm already in enough trouble. I don't need to be in any more." _Britta told her.

Fury turned back to Britta, still glaring. "Tell me what you found out." He ordered.

Britta raised a confused eyebrow at him. "Weren't you watching the whole thing? Didn't you hear what I did?" She asked him.

"There could have been a double meaning in his words you picked up that we didn't." Fury said.

Britta snorted, her anger flaring up. "You seriously think _that_ had any double meaning?" She said, her voice low and furious. Anyone who was around quickly scurried away, not wanting to be around an angry Britta. They'd met both of the voices in her head and they knew how quick they were to attack anyone who made Britta mad. "He hates me and his mind is twisted. Incredibly twisted. Someone or something has messed with his mind, made him think things he never would. Loki wouldn't consider the Tesseract power if he was in his right mind. That's what I learned, alright? I learned that my best friend in brother is an insane psychopath who probably wants me dead." Britta noticed she was shaking and she quickly stopped, not wanting Grid to get out.

Fury shrugged slightly. "He could have been acting." He said.

Britta knew he was trying to get a rise out of her and she forced herself not to get mad about it. "Loki was not acting. Everything you saw and heard was the truth." She said calmly. Inside she was screaming in pain but she wasn't going to let them know that. She wasn't going to let them use the painful memories of her friendship with the madman against her or Loki.

"Sir!" A dark haired woman, the one Britta had figured out was second in command, called out to the Director. Fury glanced distrustfully at Britta, silently telling her not to move or do anything, before walking over to her. "Sir I think we have a problem." The woman said.

"What is it Agent Hill?" Fury asked.

Britta watched curiously as Agent Hill led Fury over to his screens and showed him something. It looked like an alert and Britta managed to read it before Fury's back blocked her view. Someone was breaking into S.H.I.E.L.D's most secure files on something called Phase Two. Of course Britta already knew exactly who that someone was and she quickly turned on her heels and ran from the room, thinking only about warning the geniuses. Grid stirred happily in her head. "This should be fun." She said cheerfully. Britta pushed her aside, shuddering, before picking up the speed and practically running to the lab.


	18. Fighting in the Lab

"Alien!" Tony said cheerfully when the young Asgardian came running through the door. She looked a little panicked and definitely breathless which instantly worried both men. Bruce especially. He walked away from his work, placing himself directly beside her. Without thinking he started rubbing small circles on her back, trying to calm her down. "God Alien who are you running from?" Tony asked, walking over.

Britta shook her head but smiled slightly at Bruce. "Ran from the control room. Should have flown." She told them breathlessly. Bruce chuckled while Tony gave her a look that said "yeah, you should have." Britta stuck her tongue out at him before gulping down some air. "Fury knows about you hacking in. No doubt he's on his way." She said.

Tony grinned, looking smug. "Good, I'm glad. The pirate should know just how little I trust him." He said. Britta watched him, slightly amused, as he made his way back to their work. He jumped up onto the work table and sat there, looking completely at ease even though he knew a very angry one eyed man would be in the room soon. He started lightly tapping his handheld screen against his leg, looking cheerful.

Britta chuckled and shook her head at him. "You like angering Patchy don't you?" She asked him. She reached over and grabbed Bruce's hand, lacing her delicate fingers with his strong calloused ones. A smile played on her lips at the contrast and she happily pulled him over to the work desk.

Tony's eyes studied Bruce carefully and grinned when he saw the pleased look in the doctor's eyes. Good, the guy needed a love interest. Life gets boring without a bit of romance here and there. "Yep." He told the girl, popping the p. Britta smiled and slowly released Bruce's hand, knowing she had to but not liking it. The doctor smiled a little at her as he made his way over to his screens. He looked briefly at his screens but his eyes seemed to want to stay locked on her and he watched as she placed herself beside Tony. She leaned casually against the desk, looking calm. "It shouldn't surprise him that much though. He knows I don't trust him as far as I can throw him." Tony said.

"As far as you can throw him in the suit or as far as you can throw him as a regular none armored genius?" Britta asked jokingly, slipping out of Bruce's jacket as she did. "Here Brucey, I don't need it right now. After all, I've got the doctor himself with me now." She said, handing the jacket to Bruce. She grinned wildly when his cheeks turned a light red, delighted that she had caused it.

"As my normal awesome self, Alien." Tony told her, smiling at the Asgardian girl.

Britta snorted and Bruce smiled lightly, placing his jacket beneath the work desk. He didn't want to admit it but he liked her snort. Just like he liked her wearing his jacket. He shook his head though, reminding himself he wasn't allowed to think like that. "Awesome? No Metal Man, no. You are _not _awesome. If you want awesome, look at me." Britta told the billionaire, a big smile on her face.

Before Tony could retaliate Fury came walking into the room. "What are you doing Mister Stark?" He asked, storming over. He didn't sound angry though he did sound pretty dang annoyed.

"Uh, kind of been wondering the same thing about you." Tony answered. He didn't sound angry either but Britta could sense the anger building up inside him.

"You're supposed to be locating the Tesseract." Fury said, sounding a tad angry now.

"We are." Bruce said immediately. Tony smiled smugly at the Director and Britta couldn't help but chuckle warmly. "The model's locked and we're sweeping for the signature now. When we get a hit," Bruce pointed to the suitcase looking device across the room, "we'll have the location within half a mile." He said.

Fury glanced back at the suitcase before turning his attention back on the geniuses. "And you'll get your cube back. No muss, no fuss." He said. Files on Phase Two popped up on Tony's screen but Britta barely noticed. Steve had just come into the room, unbeknownst to everyone but her, _radiating_ anger. "What is Phase Two?" Tony asked, staring at his screen.

Steve practically slammed down the heavy device he was holding onto a table, catching everyone's attention. "Phase Two is S.H.I.E.L.D uses the cube to make weapons." He said, glaring at Fury and sounding incredibly miffed. Now that Britta looked closely she recognized the device Steve had been holding as one of Hydra's weapons. She remembered how much pain she had been in when Hydra was making Tesseract weapons and she felt her own anger flare up into a near raging fire. Grid practically purred at Britta's anger, enjoying it. When Britta thought about the hell Steve went through because of those weapons she got even angrier which just made Grid laugh. She wasn't pushing for control, not yet anyways. She was waiting. She was going to let Britta lose control on her own. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me." Steve told the two geniuses.

"Rogers," Fury said as he walked over to the super soldier, "we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we're-."

"I'm sorry Nick." Tony said, cutting off the Director. Fury and Steve turned to look at Tony, neither one looking very pleased. As Tony turned the screen around for the two men to see Bruce made his way over to Britta. She instantly gripped his hand, trying to control her own anger and ignore her building headache. She could feel his anger too and it frightened her ever so slightly. His anger was more primal than most, something that could no doubt be blamed on the Hulk. "What were you lying?" Tony asked the Director. On the screen was a diagram of a Hydra weapon. Britta, or maybe it was Grid or Nanna, growled softly at the sight.

"I was wrong Director." Steve said, glaring at Fury. Barely anyone but Britta and Bruce noticed as Thor and Agent Romanoff entered the room. "The world hasn't changed a bit." Steve said.

Thor looked over at Britta, instantly noticing how angry and pained she looked. He also noticed how desperately she held onto the man called Bruce's hand and felt a surge of protectiveness towards her. "Did you know about this?" Bruce asked Agent Romanoff. A slight happiness stirred in Britta at Bruce's dislike for the redhead though she couldn't quite figure out why.

"You wanna think about removing yourself from this environment doctor?" Natasha asked, taking a few steps towards them.

Bruce immediately started to place distance between himself and Natasha. He regretted having to release Britta's hand but he felt like having the redhead too close to him would be a very bad idea. "I was in Calcutta, I was pretty well removed." He said, chuckling darkly. Britta winced at his anger and her hands flew up to her head. She pressed her fists to her forehead, trying to stop her headache.

Natasha barely paid attention to his comment. "Loki's manipulating you." She told the doctor.

"Gods Romanoff. You're the queen of subtlety aren't you?" Britta grumbled furiously.

"And you've been doing what exactly?" Bruce asked, not hearing Britta's comment.

"You didn't come here because I bat my eyelashes at you." Natasha said.

Britta smirked a little. _"Of course he didn't." _She thought, sounding bitter. _"He's got much better taste than that." _Britta kind of hated herself for thinking that but she was too angry to feel bad.

"Yes and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy." Bruce said. He noticed the pleased smirk on Britta's face but chose to ignore it, not wanting to pull attention towards her since she was obviously suffering from all of their anger. He took a step away from Natasha, placing himself beside the screen displaying Phase Two. "I'd like to know why S.H.I.E.L.D is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction." He said, pointing at the diagram.

Everyone was silent for a moment, all of them but Natasha looking at Fury. The redhead had her eyes on Bruce, obviously thinking he was more important than the fact that the organization she worked for was making weapons that could kill anything. "Because of him." Fury finally said, pointing at Thor.

Thor looked confused and Britta instantly looked furious. "Me?" He asked.

"Last year Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge mass that leveled a small town." Fury said, his focus on the two most distrusting people in the room. Tony and Bruce. "We learned that not only are we not alone but we are hopelessly, hilariously, out gunned." He said. He was in the center of the room now, practically demanding attention.

"My people want nothing but peace with your planet." Thor said defensivly.

"He's not lying." Britta said, finally adding in her two cents. She walked over to Thor with grace, looking more like a creature from another planet with that anger on her face. "Asgard has always protected and watched over your planet. If you need proof just look at me." Britta said. She leaned against Thor's arm, feeling a little dizzy. She knew Grid would be slipping through soon but she just couldn't control her anger and she certainly couldn't control her headache or their thoughts. "I've been here for two thousand years and I haven't done anything to hurt anyone." Britta said.

"You are the reason the Tesseract's here in the first place though." Fury pointed out. Britta growled and took a step forward, Grid pushing her ever so slightly to attack. Thor grabbed her arm though and stopped her, preventing a fight. Bruce glared viciously at Fury, hating the man for using something Britta obviously regretted with every fiber of her body against her. "And you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat." Fury said, focusing his eye on Thor who was glaring back. "The world's filling up with people who can't be matched. That can't be controlled." Fury said, shooting Tony a pointed look.

"Like you controlled the cube?" Steve asked. Britta blinked as her vision went black and blurry. His anger was painful as heck to her.

Thor broke away from Britta, walking towards Fury in a threatening sort of way. "Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki to it and his allies." He said furiously. "It is a single to all the realms that earth is ready for a higher form of war." Thor said. He sounded dead serious and Britta knew he was trying desperately to get the point through Fury's thick skull. It wouldn't work though. Fury was an idiot in her opinion.

Steve looked confused and slightly worried. "A higher form?" He asked but he was promptly ignored.

"You forced our hand." Fury said, answering Thor. "We had to come up with somethi-."

"A nuclear deterrent." Tony said, interrupting Fury again. Britta nearly snickered and secretly thought Fury needed more interrupting. It might keep him from sounding like a total idiot. "Because that always calms everything right down." Tony said as Fury turned to look at him. He sound terrifyingly calm, something that freaked Britta out.

"Remind me again how you made your fortune Stark." Fury said.

"Low blow!" Britta declared, pointing a finger at Fury. The sudden movement made her head spin and she suddenly found herself being held up by Thor.

Bruce took a step towards Britta but Natasha took a step towards him, telling him to stay right where he was. Bruce glared at her but stayed put. "I'm sure if he still made weapons Stark would be neck deep-" Steve said, walking over to Tony a bit.

"Wait, wait, hold on! How is this suddenly about me?" Tony asked angrily, taking a few steps towards the super soldier.

"I'm sorry isn't everything?" Steve asked angrily.

"Steve shut up." Britta mumbled but no one heard her.

"I thought humans were more evolved than this." Thor said, holding Britta up with one arm.

"Thor they are they're just pissed." Britta grumbled. Thor didn't pay any attention to her though as Fury started talking.

Britta couldn't handle it anymore. Suddenly the pain in her head surged and she let out a sharp cry, her vision going black. She went limp in Thor's hold and fell to the ground. Bruce tried to go to her, worried, but Natasha blocked him again. He started arguing with her, barely noticing as Britta's eyes opened and her appearance turned into Grid's. The evil girl smiled at the chaos in the room as she stood, enjoying the anger the room was washed in. She ignored the raging headache she had from their anger and looked over at the scepter. The little blue gem there was glowing brightly and she chuckled, knowing that Loki was to blame for all this anger. Grid focused on the argument raging between Steve and Tony and laughed openly when Tony described himself. Tony noticed the malicious girl in the place of jokester Britta but didn't get a chance to say anything about it as Steve continued the argument. No one else noticed Grid either, all of them too focused on the argument between the super soldier and the genius. Grid could kill them all if she wanted. She could make her and Nanna the only people Britta liked again.

**_"Grid please don't! Let me back in control, please!"_ **Britta begged desperately, tears in her voice. She didn't want these people dead, no matter how annoying some of them could be. She didn't want to suddenly gain control when Grid was done and see their blood on her hands.

_"If I let you back in control you have to let me come out later and fight something. That's the deal." _Grid said, grinning maliciously.

_**"Dammit Grid fine!"** _Britta shouted out furiously. Grid grinned triumphantly and let Britta back out, taking off the appearance changing spell as she did. Britta managed to get out just as Fury mentioned Natasha's escorting Bruce away.

"Where? You rented my room?" Bruce said furiously.

Thor grabbed Britta's arm as she started to stumble over to the doctor, pulling her back. Britta gave him a furious look but the thunder god just shook his head. He had heard of what this doctor could do and he didn't want Britta near him if he was angry. Britta yanked her arm out of Thor's grip but listened to his silent plea to stand beside him, knowing Fury and Natasha wouldn't let her near Bruce anyways.

"The cell was just-."

Once again, Fury was not allowed to finish his sentence. "In case you needed to kill me but you can't! I know, I tried!" Bruce very nearly shouted. Britta stared at him in horrified pity, her mind buzzing with pain. She was somewhat regretting making Grid give her back control. Sure Grid couldn't kill them all now but she could easily come back out by accident. Britta's head hurt too much and she was too angry. She could feel the Tesseract energy buzzing in her, making everything so much worse. Bruce saw the look on Britta's face and felt a wave of shame hit him. "I got low. I didn't see an end so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out." He explained, hoping she understood. Britta didn't and she swore to ask him about it later but she nodded a little, telling him he didn't have to explain right now. Bruce nodded back and focused on Fury. "So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good. Until you dragged me back into this freak show and put everyone here at risk." Bruce could feel his anger mounting at that but he couldn't push it down. Britta's eyes widened as she saw his hand drift unconsciously towards the scepter. She couldn't say anything though as his anger hit her, blinding her with darkness for a second. Primal. Damn primal rage. "You want to know my secret Agent Romanoff? You want to know how I stay calm?" Bruce practically growled, a green tint coming to his skin.

By the time Britta's vision returned Bruce had a hold of the scepter and was holding it almost threateningly. Everyone else had noticed it too and the two members of S.H.I.E.L.D had their hands over their guns. "Doctor Banner." Steve said, catching the attention of Bruce. Britta was somewhat frightened by the animalistic look on the good doctor's face but not entirely. That wasn't Bruce, not the animalistic part anyways. That was the other guy, the Hulk. "Put down the scepter." Steve ordered Bruce.

Bruce looked at him in confusion before suddenly feeling something in his hand. He looked down at his hand and was shocked to see the scepter there, the blue gem glowing. How did it end up in his hand? He hadn't grabbed it had he? Wouldn't he have noticed. Bruce looked up at everyone in confusion, his eyes focusing on Britta. She gave him a small pitying smile and shook her head, telling him it wasn't his fault.

The device searching for the Tesseract beeped and everyone turned to look at it. "Got it." Tony announced. Normally he would have sounded proud be he was still angry. Bruce placed down the scepter and barreled past everyone, going straight for the device.

"Sorry kids you don't get to see my party trick after all." Bruce said, as he walked. Natasha followed after him, becoming his shadow practically.

"You've located the Tesseract?" Thor asked while Britta smiled proudly at the two geniuses. Bruce nodded absently, looking at the screen. Thor suddenly turned to Fury, remembering how possessive the mortal man was of the cube. "The Tesseract belongs on Asgard, no human is a match for it." He told the Director.

"Asgardians can't really handle it either." Britta added bitterly.

Tony tried to sneak out of the room, no doubt planning to go get his suit and fly to wherever Bruce told him to, but Steve grabbed his arm and stopped him. "You're not going alone!" Steve told the genius angrily.

Tony hit Steve's hand off of his arm. "You gonna stop me?" He asked challengingly.

"Put on the suit, let's find out." Steve said, more than willing to teach the arrogant billionaire a lesson.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man." Tony said, coming toe to toe with the super soldier.

"Put on the suit." Steve practically growled.

Bruce removed his glasses, looking in shock at the screen in front of him. "Oh my God." He said and looked up at Tony.

Before the good doctor could say a single word more an explosion shook the room, fire shooting up out of the floor. Everyone was blown off their feet immediately. Thor grabbed a hold of Britta as he dove away from the flames, pulling her against his chest and protecting her from the fire. He managed to stop her from getting burnt but he could do nothing to protect her head from hitting sharply against the floor. Britta's vision went black and didn't focus back. She was unconscious.


	19. Brief Silent Bonding

Britta opened her eyes, jolted out of unconsciousness by a primal roar that echoed throughout the Helicarrier. Instantly she knew it was the Hulk and her worry for Bruce suddenly skyrocketed. She crawled to her feet, barely noticing Thor helping her up. She barely noticed how it was her in control instead of Grid, too worried about Bruce. "Thor. Thor we have to help them." Britta mumbled out, her head pounding. It wasn't because of someone's emotions either. The back of her head was bleeding from the impact with the floor.

"You stay here Britta. You are already hurt and I can't be worrying about you." Thor told her. Britta glared at him but didn't protest. He knew that meant she was going to do whatever she wanted and opened his mouth to really drive the point home but the sound of a million different things breaking. He cast Britta a pleading look before taking off, heading straight for where the sound of major destruction was coming from. Britta grinned and followed him, running about ten feet behind him so he didn't see her.

Sometimes Britta really loved being a Halfling. She was faster than hell and when she heard the destruction stop she passed by Thor so she could get there first. Britta spotted Agent Romanoff on the floor looking absolutely terrified and ran over to her without thinking. She may not like the woman but anyone who looked that helpless was going to get her help, whether they liked it or not. "Natasha! Natasha are you okay?!" Britta asked worriedly, grabbing the other woman's arm and shaking it slightly to get her attention. There was a growl behind Britta and slowly she turned her head to see the Hulk standing over her. He was big, he was green, and he could smash her into next week with one finger. "Oh my gods." Britta said, half in fear and half in amazement. The Hulk took a step forward, towards her and Natasha, before getting blasted through the wall by an angry protective Thor. Britta let out a slightly crazed laugh. "That's my brother." She said proudly.

Natasha moaned, arching her back in pain. Britta looked at her in worry before realizing the Hulk must have hit her into the wall or something. Cautiously, she placed her hands on the small of the woman's back and on her side, afraid she'd get yelled at for touching the redhead. Natasha didn't say anything though, her focus on the hole Thor and the Hulk had made. Taking that as a sign, Britta started healing the redhead. She had to focus intently and she only just managed to heal the major injuries before her weakened condition made her stop. Britta slowly moved till she was sitting down beside Natasha, her head resting somewhat painfully on the wall.

"Sorry I couldn't heal the minor things. I kind of have a concussion and I've been hurt a lot today so my magic's not at its best." Britta said apologetically, panting slightly. Healing the spy had taken a lot out of her. Britta thought the redhead had damn well be grateful or else she was going to hit her upside the head.

"Thanks." Natasha managed to say.

Britta looked over at the redhead, feeling bad for her. She was covered with sweat and she was giving off a massive amount of fear. She had thought she was going to die. "Hey, don't sweat it Red." She said, clapping a hand on the redhead's shoulder. Natasha glanced over at her and smirked slightly though she still looked extremely shaken. "Thought you were gonna die huh?" Britta said. Natasha flinched slightly and a tiny glare appeared on her face. She didn't want to admit it but yes she had. Natasha had never been that close to death and it frightened her. She knew she couldn't lie about that either. Not to this girl. "You don't have to admit it, I understand. Oh and you can lie to me anytime you want. I don't like reading people's minds, remember? The only reason I'm hearing any of your thoughts is because you're scared out of your skin." Britta said, offering the agent a sad smile.

Natasha nodded a little. "You should help Thor." She said, nodding towards the hole.

Britta shrugged a little. "I'm sure Thor can handle the Hulk. Maybe the brute will even be a challenge for him." She said, a small smile on her lips. Still, Britta didn't want Natasha to think she would abandon Thor so she decided to go against hers and Grid's pride and admit weakness. "Besides, I got to wait for this to heal." Britta said, placing a hand on the back of her head. When she pulled away it was covered in blood, something that actually didn't bother her that much in that moment. She was too tired, too pained from the mess that was today. Why did she ever go willingly with Coulson to this messed up place? She should have just stayed in her apartment. If she had she would never have gotten attached to people and Grid wouldn't want to kill them. If she had she'd probably would never have had to fight this much against Grid and Nanna for control. A lot of people would be a lot safer if she had just stayed hidden.

"Can't you heal that yourself?" Natasha asked, a little curiously.

"Asgardians and Light Elves heal quickly when they have enough energy. If I rest a while I should be fine." Britta explained.

That's exactly what they did too. The two women sat there and listened to Thor fighting the Hulk, one trying to quench her fear while the other tried not to pass out as she healed. Britta didn't comment on the sight of tears on Natasha's face and in return Natasha didn't comment about how weak Britta looked. When the sounds of Thor and Hulk fighting became distant they barely looked around, just too out of it to really care. Eventually though Natasha reached up and pressed a finger to her earpiece, hearing something on the other end.

"This is Agent Romanoff. I copy." Natasha said, sounding shaken. The redhead started getting to her feet and Britta instantly stood up, looking worriedly at the other woman.

"What's the matter? Has something else happened?" Britta asked worriedly.

Natasha shook her head lightly. "I have to go deal with something." She explained. Britta looked at her with concern, reading her thoughts unintentionally. She was going after Barton, the man who Natasha owed her life to and actually cared about. Natasha smiled a little at the concern on Britta's face. "I'll be fine. Go find a threat and neutralize it, elf." She said.

Britta gave her a mock astounded look. "Agent Romanoff I didn't know you had a sense of humor." She said jokingly. Natasha smirked and Britta chuckled before putting on an extremely serious face. "Be safe, Red. I'm gonna go deal with the cause of all of this." Britta said. Natasha nodded and they took off in opposite directions. Both to deal with a guy that meant way too much to them.


	20. A Heartbreaking Fight

Britta ran into Loki's prison room, passing through the door less doorway. She immediately noticed the lack of a glass cage in the room and she looked around desperately for Loki. He wasn't there though. Instead there was a huge hole in a nearby wall and Phil Coulson lying on the ground, a strange gun in his hands. Britta immediately noticed the blood and she rushed over to him, fearful concern in her eyes. "Phil! Oh gods Phil don't die." She said, placing her hands over the wound. She started pushing the energy she had gathered into healing his wound but before she could get very far she felt someone grab the back of her shirt and pull her away. Britta shouted in protest and then in pain when she was tossed to the ground. She groaned and looked up at Loki who was standing above her looking triumphant and maaaaad. "Loki, that hurt." Britta said furiously, picking herself up off the ground.

Loki grabbed her by the front of her shirt and hoisted her to her feet. Britta snarled at him and pulled at his fingers, trying to get him to let go. "It was meant to hurt Britta." Loki snarled at her. Britta glared at him but inside she was screaming in fright. "So, you knew of my parentage?" He asked her. His voice was gruff and beyond miffed.

_"Hey, Grid, do you mind coming out here and uh fighting Loki for me?" _Britta asked the evil girl in her head.

Grid chuckled darkly. _**"Maybe in a minute, when you really need me."**_She said.

Britta growled softly. _"Dammit Grid I hate you." _She said, earning yet another dark chuckle from the girl. Loki shook her slightly, growling at her, and Britta sighed, knowing she had to answer. "Yes, Loki, I knew. I didn't tell you cause I thought you'd get killed because of it." Britta said sadly.

"So you let me live a lie? You let me grow up hearing stories of how monstrous I was?" Loki growled.

"I was a child, Loki! I didn't know what to do!" Britta told him, knowing she didn't have time to explain. If she wanted to save Phil she would have to get out of Loki's grip. "Loki please, stop this. You aren't a monster, you never were." She begged him, her voice cracking slightly with tears. She knew Loki's mind was twisted, that there was no chance she could bring him back to how he once was, but she had to try. She had to. He was her best friend. "Loki my friend, my brother. Please. Just stop." She begged him.

Loki stared at her a moment and for a second Britta thought maybe she had actually gotten through to him. But then he laughed. Loudly and cruelly. Britta felt her blood run cold as the laugh echoed in her ears. "The more you try to appeal to my humanity, the more pathetic I find you." He told her with a cruel smile. Britta tried to ignore him, shooting Phil a worried look. He was so quiet as he stared at them. She wondered what he was doing until she saw how he was trying desperately to angle the gun towards Loki. "You know Britta." Loki said, pulling her attention back to him. He had moved his scepter so that the point was resting barely a centimeter above her heart. "You would be such a valuable weapon if I could control you. You could make them all bow down to me with just a thought." He was practically purring now. Britta squirmed in his grip, trying to get loose before he tried to take over her mind. Loki held onto her though, his gaze unwavering. "If I could control you." Loki repeated, a wicked grin spreading across his face. A tiny scared whimper escaped Britta as Loki touched the point of his scepter to her heart.

Britta didn't breath as she waited for something to happen. After a minute she looked down at the scepter in shock, her eyes immediately falling on the gem. The gem that pulsed with Tesseract magic. It wasn't working. Britta let out a small relieved cry and smiled joyfully. She looked up at Loki, expecting to see anger there but seeing nothing but amusement at her reaction. And thoughtfulness.

"I guessed this might happen. You are too much apart of the Tesseract for me to control you with it." Loki told her, lifting the scepter up so that the blue gem shone in his face. He studied the gem for a moment before looking back at her. "Pity. You could have lived." He said, sounding a tad regretful. Britta's eyes widened as he pulled back the scepter, aiming the point for her heart. He thrust forward, driving the scepter towards her heart.

Grid was suddenly in control. She pulled her knees up and kicked Loki hard in the chest before the scepter could plunge into Britta's heart. Immediately Loki dropped her and stumbled back, coughing. _**"Told you I'd help when you needed it."**_Grid said cheerfully, picking herself up off the ground. She put on the appearance spell, alerting Loki and Phil to the fact that Grid was in control. "Don't hurt my Britta, Loki. I'll get protective." Grid said angrily, glaring at Loki.

Loki smirked a little though he looked miffed. "So after all these years you're protecting her?" He asked mockingly.

Grid shrugged nonchalantly. "You learn to love her." She said offhandedly.

Loki grinned evilly, his eyes lit up with a challenge. "Well then, let's see how well you protect her." He said, growling at the end. With an animalistic snarl he lunged at her, trying to stab her with the scepter. Grid sidestepped easily and grabbed the scepter. She pushed it back, slamming the end of it into Loki's nose. He swung at her, slamming the scepter into her chest. Grid let go of it, stumbling back and coughing loudly. She snarled before launching herself at him, tackling him to the ground.

Grid and Loki wrestled for a minute or two, Grid trying to rip the scepter out of Loki's hands and Loki trying to stab her. She held one side of the scepter while he held the other, both pulling. Suddenly Loki grinned and he pushed forward, slamming the scepter into Grid's forehead. Grid released the scepter and gripped her head in pain. When she brought her hands away her fingers were covered with blood. Britta's blood. "Oh you are so dead Loki." Grid said, looking in fury at the blood on her hands. She looked up, ready to attack Loki, but before she could do anything she found herself lying on the floor. Loki kneeled over her, his hand gripping her throat.

"You didn't do a very good job Grid." Loki told her, grinning mockingly at her. Grid snarled in response and didn't stop glaring till he slammed her head on the floor, effectively knocking her unconscious.


	21. Pain and Encouragment

Someone was shaking her. Britta grumbled, telling them to stop but unable to form words, and turned away. The shaking became more insistent though and Britta forced her eyes open. She saw Tony's face hanging over hers and confusion danced across her features. Slowly, extremely slowly, her mind reminded her of what had happened. When she remembered Loki slamming Grid's head, her head, on the floor her mind went blank. How had she ended up...wherever she was. She couldn't move her head. When she did a small whimper escaped her lips and tears appeared in her eyes.

"Hey Alien, try not to move too quickly." Tony told her. Britta slowly nodded and found that he was right to suggest it. She could move her head if she wasn't quick about it. So she did, looking at her surroundings. She seemed to be in some sort of medical room. There were tons of agents getting patched up around her, some giving her not so nice looks and she knew why. They were starting to really dislike Asgardians, all thanks to Loki. "Fury found you in Loki's cage room. You were unconscious and there was blood all around your head." Tony told her,

"They didn't try to stitch me up did they?" Britta asked groggily.

Tony shook his head. "No, by the time they got you in here your head had healed itself." He told her.

Britta looked at him in shock. If that was true she would have had to been asleep for at least a day. She hadn't had enough energy to perform a quick heal when Loki bashed her head against the ground. "How long have I been out?" She asked.

"An hour or so." Tony told her.

Britta shook her head slowly. "No, that's not right." She told him. Tony raised an eyebrow at her but she was too confused to explain. She had _not _had the energy to heal herself that quickly. She wouldn't have woken up so quickly after losing so much blood either. Her magic couldn't heal her that quickly either and she had to be awake to use her magic to speed up the process. Someone had to have healed her, someone who knew magic. Definitely not Thor and no way could any of these mortals know magic. There was only one possibility but it seemed damn impossible. Loki. He hadn't killed her when he knocked her out, _why_? He was the only one who could heal her too. Why though? If it had been him, why? Britta shook her head, planning on asking her old friend if she ever got the chance. "What happened to Phil?" She asked, changing the subject. Tony's face sudden darkened with pain and Britta stared at him, concerned horror on her face. "Tony? What happened to Phil?" She asked again.

Tony looked at his hands, his eyes swimming with emotion he was trying to keep in check. "He's gone Britta." He said quietly, mournfully.

"No." Britta said, shaking her head defiantly. "No, Phil can't be dead. He's one of the best guys here, he can't be dead." She said.

"He is." Tony practically whispered.

Tears poured down Britta's cheeks and she shook as she tried to hold back her sobs. Phil had been such a great guy. He had actually gave a crap and had understood how hard everything was on her. He'd taken care of her while she was here, making sure she got somewhere safe when Grid came out. He'd provided some much needed TLC afterwards, joking to cheer her up and getting her to a place she could sleep peacefully. He was the one and only S.H.I.E.L.D agent she had trusted immediately. Britta hoped he had one of the highest places of honor in Valhalla cause he deserved it, more than most.

"I tried to heal him. I did, I tried, but Loki pulled me away." Britta admitted, not even trying to wipe away her tears. "I didn't save him though. I should have saved him. The gods know I should have saved him." She said mournfully.

Tony shook his head. "It wasn't your fault Alien, don't beat yourself up over it." He told her. Britta didn't answer though and he grabbed her hand, squeezing it almost painfully to get her attention. "Britta, it _wasn't your fault_. Loki's the biggest asshole in the universe and it's his fault Phil's gone. Okay? Blame him." Tony said sternly.

Britta let out a sad chuckle. "Yeah, got to agree with you there." She said though there was a small hint of uncertainty in her voice. Why the hell did Loki let her live? Why the hell was she healed? "So what else did I miss?" Britta asked, trying to pull the conversation away from Phil and Loki.

"Well Spangles is currently helping out with medical." Tony said, pointing over to the super soldier. Steve noticed and smiled a little at Britta, nodding. Britta smiled back before turning back to Tony. "He's checked in on you when he's come by. I'm starting to think he either has a crush on you or Nanna. He mentioned talking to her." Tony told her.

"Nanna, more than likely. She's a little more Steve's type." Britta admitted.

_**"Yeah, meaning she's not guilt ridden about ruining his life."** _Grid said, rolling her eyes.

Britta frowned slightly but it didn't last long as Nanna let out a tiny happy squeal. **_"You think he has a crush on_ me?"** She asked excitedly.

Britta and Grid rolled their eyes at the same time. _"Yes Nan, we think he has a crush on you." _She told the cheerful girl. Nanna squealed and started doing a happy dance. "Nanna is so pleased to hear that." She told Tony who laughed. "So what about Thor? And how's our dearest doctor?" Britta asked.

"No one knows where either one's at." Tony admitted, sounding regretful. Britta frowned in worry but he shook his head. "Don't look so concerned Alien. Thor's a god and Bruce was in Hulk form when he fell out of the sky. I'm sure they're both fine." He told her.

Britta nodded absently, wondering if either one was hurt. She hoped they were okay. "So why did you wake me up? Aren't you usually supposed to leave injured people alone when they're asleep?" She asked. Tentatively she touched the recently healed parts of her head. The areas were still tender but other than that they felt completely healed. She would be suffering from blood loss for an hour or so though.

Tony looked at her apologetically and helped her get into a sitting position. "Fury said to meet him in the control room in an hour. I figured you'd want to be fully awake and able to walk on your own before you got there." He explained. He waited till he thought she could sit up on her own before walking over to a nearby table. When he returned he had a juice box and a cookie. Tony held them out to her, a smile on his face.

Britta laughed, taking the juice and the cookie from him. "Really Metal Man? Do I look like a five year old?" She asked him before taking a very big bite out of the cookie. She moaned in delight at the taste, it was a pretty good cookie. Chocolate chip too, her favorite.

"Sometimes." Tony told her, smiling slightly. Britta stuck her tongue out at him before finishing off her cookie. Tony then started telling her random stories about what he did as a billionaire while she drank her juice box and regained her strength. She knew why he was doing it but she didn't mention it. So what if he wanted to distract himself from thoughts about Phil? So what if he wanted to distract her too? Who was she to point that out and make him think about it? Britta didn't want him to be in pain so she didn't say anything, letting him ignore his pain.

Eventually though Britta got sore from sitting in the bed and started getting up. Tony helped her and for ten minutes or so he helped her walk around, regaining feeling in her legs and the rest of her strength. By the time that was done though it was time to head to the control room. They pulled Steve away from nurse duty and the three of them walked towards the control room. Britta walked between them and she could just feel the tension still between them. She tried to make conversation with them but it was so freaking awkward. Luckily though they made it to the control room quickly. Unfortunately that meant they were in the control room. With Fury. Angry as hell Fury. Britta placed herself at Bruce's usual haunt while the two men sat down. She noticed Tony looking around and saw the pain in his eyes when he took in the absence of the one S.H.I.E.L.D agent both of them liked and trusted. Britta hugged herself and tried to keep herself from crying as the pain of losing Phil washed back over her.

"These were in Phil Coulson's jacket. I guess he never did get you to sign them" Fury said, tossing Phil's Captain America trading cards onto the table. Britta winced, of course Fury would hit them where it hurts the second he got a chance. He was angry about it too, furious. Phil had been a great guy and obviously even asshole Fury had liked him. Steve lifted up one of the cards. There was blood on it. Phil's blood. Britta felt a lump form in her throat and she looked away, her heart beating painfully in her chest. "We're dead in the air up here. Our communications, the location of the cube, Banner, Thor." Fury looked over at Britta then and she looked back, silently telling him to not use her affection for the two men to hurt her. "I got nothing for you." Fury continued, looking away from her. "Lost my one good eye." Fury looked at the table and Britta took a few quick steps back as he remembered how he lost it. "Maybe I had that coming." He said sadly. He shook off the memories and looked back up at the three. None of them were looking at him but that didn't matter. "Yes, we were going to build an arsenal with the Tesseract. I never put all my chips on that number though because I was playing something even riskier." Fury looked over at Tony, looking for a sign of recognition, but Tony refused to look at him. "There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more." Fury was now between the two men, leaning against a seat. Fury glanced at Britta who was pressed against the wall, looking at the floor. She knew about the Initiative. Phil had thought about it a few times, had gotten excited about it. "See if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could." Tony turned slightly to look at Fury but the second the one eyed man turned back he turned away. "Phil Coulson died still believing in that idea. In heroes."

Tony shot to his feet, unable to listen to another second of Fury's speech. He walked out of the room and no one tried to stop him. Britta placed a hand over her eyes and tried to hide the tears that started to roll down her cheeks.

Fury watched Tony go, not saying a word as he did. "Well," he said as Tony left, "it's an old fashioned notion." He said.

"Dammit Fury!" Britta snapped, looking up at Fury who seemed unsurprised by her outburst. "Stop! We're hurting like hell and you're just making it worse!" She shouted at him. He didn't react though and that just made her mad. She shook her head, wiping away tears, and stormed out of the room. Where she was going she had no clue but she had to get out of the control room. Had to get away from Fury.

Britta wasn't all that surprised when her feet led her to the lab. It was charred as hell, the big window behind the main work desk was shattered, and all the furniture was practically destroyed. Britta stared at the room sadly, leaning against the doorframe. The Hulk had been in here, that was horribly obvious. There was a hole in the floor where no doubt the big green guy and her darling golden haired brother had crashed through. Britta looked around the room sadly until she spotted Bruce's jacket trapped beneath one half of the desk that had once held Loki's stupid scepter. She walked across the room and used the strength she usually kept hidden to lift the desk up off the jacket. She slipped it out with her foot and once she had it out she put the desk back down. Britta picked it up and dusted it off, smiling lightly at how it still smelled like Bruce even after being in an explosion. Britta sat down and hugged the jacket to her chest, looking around. All of this, this gigantic stupid mess, was her fault. She knew it was. Loki was using the Tesseract magic in his scepter to drive them all mad. He wouldn't have been able to use that magic if the Tesseract had never come to earth. If she had never picked up that damn cube. Not all of it was her fault, she knew that most of it was Loki's, but the fight? Them getting scattered? The Hydra weapons? The people those damn weapons killed? Yeah, that was on her. And if the feeling in her chest, the surging of Tesseract energy, was any indication she was about to be responsible for a whole hell of a lot more.

When Steve came running into the room Britta had basically decided that she was a threat to all mankind and should be locked up. She wasn't crying anymore but she was shaking, a clear indication that at any moment she could break. "Hey, we're moving out. Come on." Steve told her, standing a few feet in the room but looking ready to leave.

"I can't Steve." Britta said, looking at the ground. Steve gave her a confused look and slowly started walking over, careful to avoid getting hurt by the many broken things in the room. "I'm a threat. A walking disaster. At any moment I could snap and kill a ton of people. I'm the reason so many people have died already and if I go a lot more people are going to die." Britta said quietly. Steve kneeled down beside her, looking her dead in the eye. Britta stared back at him, the biggest example of how badly she had screwed up. "I screwed up. I made a mistake and now a lot of people are going to suffer because of it. I can't help because I'll just mess up again." She told him.

Steve was silent for a moment but when he did speak his voice was harder than rock. "You did mess up but, then again, _everyone_ messes up. Your mistake was just a tad bit bigger than a normal person's." He told her. Britta let out a humorless chuckle and looked at her hands, unable to meet his gaze. "But it doesn't matter. Britta it doesn't. What matters is how you fix the mess you made."

Britta looked up at him again, a tiny bit of hope in her eyes. "You actually think I can fix this? That I can make up for all the crap I've done?" She asked, her voice a little louder than before.

"Yes, I do." Steve told her sincerely.

Britta suddenly smiled. "Well I guess I better suit up huh?" She said, getting up. Steve smiled and stood up too, brushing dirt off his uniform as he did. Britta watched him and remembered something from when this whole thing started. "After all, I did vow to protect you and, knowing you, you'll need me watching over you during the fight." She told him.

Steve chuckled and shook his head. "Sure Britta, whatever you say." He told her. He started walking towards the door but stopped about halfway, turning back to her. "Meet me at Loki's cage room in ten minutes. We'll head out from there." He told her.

Britta nodded and the Steve was gone, heading to get the remainder of his uniform. Britta smiled down at Bruce's jacket and with a snap of her fingers it was gone, safe inside her apartment. She swore to give it back to Bruce the second she saw him again. She _would_ see him again too. Bruce wouldn't run, not this time. _"Girls, we're gonna have to do something very stupid." _Britta told the voices in her head. The blood loss thing was over and she felt great but her magic was still a little weak. She needed to power it up.

_**"Stupid sounds fun."** _Nanna said, grinning.

_**"If I'm correct this is gonna hurt some."** _Grid said, sounding a little regretful but mostly excited. _**"We haven't pulled this little stunt in a very long time. Who knows if we'll survive it?"** _Grid said. She didn't sound worried about it though, not in the least.

_"I doubt we'll die from this. Though today might just be out day girls." _Britta admitted, a smile slowly stretching across her face. It actually wouldn't be that bad, dying trying to fix her mess.

**_"Loki is so going to notice."_ **Nana commented.

_"Loki can kiss my boot." _Britta said. The voices in her head chuckled at that. _"Ready?" _She asked them, a tad uncertain.

**_"As we'll ever be."_ **The two girls said simultaneously.

Britta nodded, closed her eyes, and focused on the Tesseract energy inside her. She'd accidentally found out that she could draw power from the stupid cube years ago when she was about five inches from death after getting hit by a plane (long story). She'd tested it a few times when she really needed it and each time she'd felt awesome. More powerful than she ever had. Of course it also made controlling the voices in her head next to impossible sometimes and it also made her practically delusional. Unstable too, viciously unstable. Still, she needed her magic right now. She would be fine for the first day and when she crashed she would make sure she was somewhere safe. Somewhere her delusions wouldn't hurt anybody. So Britta latched onto the Tesseract energy and forced it to lace with her magic. Forced it to make her more powerful. For a second it hurt, Britta felt like she had exploded, but then power was practically humming inside her. Loki hadn't been completely wrong when he said the Tesseract was power. It was but that much unlimited power caused insanity. Already Britta could feel her old crazy, the crazy that took two hundred years to get rid of, coming back.

"Oh gods that feels awesome." Grid said, flexing her fingers.

Nanna squealed happily and clapped her hands. "This is going to be fun as heck!" She said excitedly.

Britta rolled her eyes and grabbed a fistful of her hair. "Yeah, I know, shut up. It's time to fight and we don't have time to get excited about it." She told them. Both rolled their eyes at her but didn't protest. Britta barely had to focus her magic to change her clothing. Within seconds she was dressed in her old Asgardian armor. A gold breastplate, golden vambraces, golden leg guards over her black boots. Easy to move in black pants and a tight fitting black shirt. Her silver teardrop necklace was tucked beneath her breastplate and shirt, lying against her skin as a reminder that someone would know if she got into anymore trouble. Britta quickly reinforced her armor with spells, making it a bit stronger so she wouldn't get hurt as easily. When she was done she grinned almost crazily. "I might actually enjoy this fight." She said, walking out of the room.

"Oh you will. We'll all be fighting together for once." Nanna said, mentally hugging the other two girls.

Grid smiled evilly. "You know, I can do plenty of damage on my own but this might actually be kind of nice." She admitted.

Britta smiled a little. "Aw is Grid being a team player for once?" She asked jokingly. Grid chuckled and Nanna smiled but neither one replied. They were all just a little too pumped for the approaching fight.

**I apologize greatly for my lack of writing. School started up again and today I received five assignments in four different classes, three of those are essay papers. I will try, try, try to write more and get it up on here but I won't promise anything.**


	22. Britta, No

"No, Tony can handle Loki himself." Steve said, making sure for the hundredth time his shield was secure to his arm.

Grid rolled her eyes and Nanna shook her head sadly while Britta just got mad. "I know Tony can take care of himself! This isn't about protecting Tony!" Britta snapped angrily. Her temper was skyrocketing as she felt the Tesseract being fiddled with. She wondered how useful she'd be if Loki managed to open up the portal. The Tesseract would definitely react and it would not be good. "There's something I need to find out Steve and I can't do that standing in this stupid jet twiddling my thumbs." Britta said, trying to keep her voice calm but failing.

Steve looked at her suspiciously. "What do you need to find out?" He asked.

"Steve please don't bother her." Nanna said, taking control for a minute. Steve flinched slightly at the sudden change in appearance, not used to it not subtly coming into existence yet. Nanna felt a little bad and Britta apologized to her for not warning Steve about how the power increase made her spells work faster. "It's nothing bad, okay? Please believe me." Nanna begged, giving him a puppy dog look.

"Or you know, just shut up and let us do what we want." Grid said. Steve flinched again at the sudden appearance change then glared furiously at Grid. Nanna and Britta both flinched at the glare, hating it.

"Hey Grid shut it." Britta said, taking control again. Grid grumbled something about killing Steve that made Steve take a cautious step back and Nanna threatened to kick Grid if she ever said something like that again. So of course Grid said it again. Britta yelled at them and soon they all completely forgot about what was going on as they argued with each other.

"Okay that's enough!" Natasha finally shouted, fed up with the arguing. She pulled a knife seemingly out of nowhere (meaning from one of the many hidden compartments in her cat suit) and pointed it at Britta who's appearance had been changing with each person who spoke. "I'm going to tell your voices only once Britta, if they keep arguing and changing your appearance I will not hesitate to stab you in the leg." She said threateningly.

Clint glanced back from looking at the sky (what exactly he was trying to avoid hitting was beyond Britta) and smiled a bit. "That was maybe one of the weirdest and most confusing things you have ever said Tasha." He said, laughing a little.

Natasha shot Clint a slightly annoyed look but didn't say anything. Britta smirked until suddenly she felt the Tesseract pulse as it redirected something. Surprisingly the pulse didn't hurt for once. It sent power coursing through Britta and she grinned as she felt her Tesseract eyes burn brightly. This...was wonderful. Using the Tesseract's energy had obviously improved her connection to it. Still...it was driving her mad. Already she was starting to see things. Shadows moving, the outlines of people who weren't there standing in her peripheral vision, glitches of the light that weren't actually happening. And she was starting to crave the power again. She was starting to want it, to want to use the Tesseract. Maybe Loki was right about it...

Britta shook her head furiously. No, she wouldn't think that. Those were poisonous thoughts and they'd swallow her whole if she let them grow. Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D would kill her if she did something as stupid as want the Tesseract. "Steve I'm going to help Tony whether you give me permission or not." Britta said firmly, pushing her thoughts on the Tesseract to the side.

Steve stared at her for a second and Britta heard him mentally debating whether to let her go. She heard his answer before he said it and she grinned wildly. "Okay, but be careful. Don't do anything stupid and don't try to fight Loki. He's aiming to kill, remember that." Steve told her.

_"Then why didn't he kill me earlier?"_ Britta thought furiously. That's what she wanted to know. Why did Loki not kill her when he had the chance? It would have saved him a lot of trouble. Britta smiled at Steve, trying to look confident. "Thank you Captain." She told him sincerely.

Britta closed her eyes and focused intently on the brainwaves she knew belonged to the genius Tony Stark. It was difficult, he was so far off, but she was so used to his brainwaves by now that they were easy to distinguish and lock onto. She smiled, focused all her energy which included the Tesseract's energy, and teleported to Tony's side.


	23. A Confrontation in Stark Tower

**Okay so I worked all day and I've got five more chapters for you! This is my way of apologizing for not updating in a while! Hope you like it sweeties!**

Tony didn't look even a little shocked when Britta suddenly appeared beside him, he had expected her to go against Steve's orders the second they were given. He ignored her for a second to continue his conversation with Loki. "Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that." He told the god before turning to Britta. He held up the bottle of scotch. "Drink?" He asked politely.

"Please." Britta said, smiling. She glanced over at Loki for a second, nearly cringing when she saw the look on his face. He looked mad and his thoughts showed that he seriously didn't want her there. Nanna lent her a bit of energy and suddenly Britta could block out Loki's thoughts. It was amazing, being able to switch off the mind reading, but Britta knew it was coming with a major price. She jumped up onto the counter and swung her legs back and forth, looking the picture of casual boredom. "So what are we talking about? Our little group of time bombs?" Britta asked, reading Tony's mind briefly.

"Yes, our dear friend Loki doesn't believe we're a threat." Tony said, pouring Britta a drink. He handed it over to her and she happily took a polite delicious sip.

"Oh really?" Britta said once she swallowed. She turned to look at Loki and gave him a "oh hon" look. "You really shouldn't doubt us like that Lo. It'll ruin you." She told him.

Loki scoffed at her. "You talk as if you're one of them. I saw nothing of you being apart of their precious team." He told her, obviously trying to hurt her. As if he hadn't done that enough already.

Tony frowned a bit, pouring his own drink. "Oh she's apart of the team alright." He said without looking at either of them. "Capsicle and I thought it'd be a great idea." He said.

"Of course it's a great idea. I'm amazing." Britta said cheerfully, grinning. Tony smiled at her before looking back at Loki.

"Okay so let's do a head count shall we?" Tony said. Loki smirked, finding the genius's continuing defiance amusing. "Your brother, the demi god." Loki scoffed then and turned away. Britta smirked a little at Loki's anger, glad Tony had managed to strike a nerve. She was careful not to watch as Tony put on the bracelets he'd told her so much about just in case Loki noticed. "The Alien girl with dangerous multiple personalities." Tony said, raising his glass to Britta in a kind of toast. She smirked and Nanna and Britta took over for a brief second, flashing through their appearances and back to Britta's almost too quickly to notice. Tony gave her a slightly concerned look before going back to his listing. "A super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breathtaking anger management issues," both Loki and Britta chuckled at that," a couple of master assasins and you," Tony pointed at Loki," big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them." Tony said.

Loki smirked as if he was pleased. "That was the plan." He said as Tony took another drink. Britta took another drink too, this time gulping down a lot more than last time to calm herself. Her paranoia was kicking in as she saw...well she saw something awful. It looked like Tony dying over in the corner, his arc reactor flickering on and off. Britta closed her eyes and swallowed down the rest of her drink.

"Not a great plan." Tony pointed out, noticing Britta's closed eyes. He walked around the counter, patting Britta's knee comfortingly as he passed her. _"You okay?" _He thought to her.

_"Not exactly." _Britta pushed the thought into Tony's head and he frowned a bit. He didn't say anything though, not wanting to draw Loki's attention towards her.

"When they come, and they will, they'll come for you." Tony told Loki, slowly walking towards the god.

"I have an army." Loki said.

"We have a Hulk." Tony said immediately.

Britta snickered and Loki shot her an annoyed look that she stuck her tongue out of. "I thought the beast had wandered off." Loki said. He was using a know it all I'm superior to everyone tone, one that used to amuse Britta but not annoyed her to no end.

Britta jumped down off the counter when Loki called Bruce a beast and strode forward like she was going to attack him. Tony shot her a look though and she stopped, glaring intensely at Loki. "You're missing the point." Tony told Loki, pulling the god's attention back to him. "There's no throne. There is no version of this where you come out on top." Tony said as he continued to approach Loki. He stopped a good distance from Loki like the genius he was. It was horribly clear Loki was mad and being close to an angry Loki was not a good idea. "Now maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the earth you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it." Tony said.

"And that's our new saying." Nanna remarked cheerfully. Grid rolled her eyes and Britta sighed.

"Not the best time for comments sweetie." Britta said endearingly, watching Loki closely.

Loki shot Britta a look and she felt foreboding fill her heart. She slowly started walking towards Tony, fearing for him, and Loki did the same. His eyes focused on Tony and suddenly Britta stopped, hearing his plan. "How will your friends have time for me when they're so busy fighting you?" Loki asked Tony, raising his scepter. Tony looked frightened as Loki brought the tip of his scepter down on Tony's chest.

There was the sound of the Tesseract energy surging and a loud ping, the sound of metal hitting metal. Loki smiled but when nothing happened he looked down at the scepter in confusion. He tried again but nothing happened. Britta covered her mouth with her hand, trying so hard not to laugh. She knew it wouldn't work.

"This usually works." Loki said, confused.

"Well performance issues. It's not uncommon." Tony said casually, as if it was no big deal and he hadn't just bested a freaking _god_. Britta couldn't control herself then and she snickered loudly along with the voices in her head. "One out of six." Tony said, shrugging a bit.

"Actually it's two out of six." Britta said which made Tony smile.

Loki snarled and grabbed Tony by the throat. He threw the billionaire across the room and Brita let out an enraged shout, launching herself at Loki. Her old friend managed to stop her though by swinging his scepter, effectively hitting her across the face. She flew to the side, slamming into the side of the fireplace. She groaned, rubbing her head in pain. Loki smirked at her before striding across the room to Tony who was only just getting up. He grabbed Tony by the throat again and lifted him up a bit, choking the genius. "All of you will fall before me." Loki said.

"Deploy!" Tony called out before Loki threw him through the window.

"Tony!" Britta screamed as her friend plummeted towards the ground. Her scream was drowned out though by the sounds of miniature rockets starting. Loki turned just in time to avoid a gigantic hunk of metal that suddenly shot out of the wall. Britta leapt to her feet and watched as the metal flew out the window and downwards towards Tony. "Loki you bastard!" Britta shouted, launching once more at Loki. Britta slammed into Loki, knocking them both to the ground. He threw the scepter up between them and Britta grabbed it, pushing the bar down against Loki's throat.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance." Loki growled at her.

"Why didn't you?" Britta growled back.

Loki pushed back against the scepter and it hit Britta in the throat, making her fall backwards. Loki was immediately on top of her, pressing the scepter down onto her throat so that she choked. "Sentiment. You used to be my best friend." He told her. He pushed down harder on her throat and her eyes bugged as her face slowly started to turn purple. "But I don't care anymore. You're nothing more than an enemy." Loki growled at her.

Grid growled, pushing forward to get Loki off of them, but before she could really do anything Nanna took over. Nanna stopped pushing against the scepter and punched Loki square in the face. There was a satisfying crunch as her fist slammed into his nose and he fell back enough for her to push him off. Nanna shot to her feet and Loki slowly got up, a hand over is nose. Nanna glared when he snapped his nose back into place, fixing it.

"I never took you for a fighter Nanna." Loki said, chuckling a little.

Nanna smirked. "You're an idiot then." She told him.

Loki opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by Tony's sudden appearance in the broken window. "And there's one more person you've pissed off." Tony said, continuing from earlier as if nothing had happened. "His name was Phil." Tony said. Britta grinned at that and shouted triumphantly when Tony blasted Loki backwards off of his feet.

The tower shook ever so slightly as a loud boom filled the air. Britta let out a gasp as her power suddenly spiked and the Tesseract opened up a portal to space. Her whole body was suddenly engulfed in a glowing blue light, as if she was on fire or something. Tony noticed it and turned his attention away from the portal to focus on Britta. Slowly, as if she couldn't help it, Britta started laughing. It was a bubbly crazed laugh and it actually managed to scare Tony a bit. Britta opened and closed her hands excitedly and felt the Tesseract energy in her and around her pulse happily as she played with it. It felt amazing.

"Britta!" Tony shouted at her, noticing the power hungry look in her eyes. "Britta snap out of it! We've got an army to fight!" He shouted.

Grid growled a little and held up her hand, pointing it at Tony. She could shoot him if she wanted, blast him right out of the sky with Tesseract energy. The energy would destroy his suit, maybe even stop his arc reactor. Nanna giggled deliriously, drunk off the power surge. Britta laughed as she saw a million different delusions around her. Her laughter died though as she noticed most of them were her friends dying. It should have pleased her, the first time she'd been driven mad the thought of her loved ones dying had made her excited, but this time she was sickened. She didn't want her friends dead. Britta forced down Grid's hand and pulled the Tesseract energy around her closer to her body, making it less of a danger.

"I'm sorry Tony. I'm sorry." Britta said, her eyes focused on the Chitauri ships flying out towards New York City.

"It's alright. Just come on!" Tony shouted at her before taking off towards the portal.

Britta glanced once at Loki before running towards the window. She leapt out of it and started plummeting towards the ground, yelling in exhilaration as she did. Britta cast a quick spell, an actual long term flying spell this time, and flew after the Chitauri ships that were now blasting apart New York.


	24. The Battle Begins

Britta held her hands up in front of her as she flew and blasted Tesseract energy at the Chitauri ships. She watched as she directly hit one of them, making it explode into a million pieces. Grid crowed loudly at the sight and started viciously blasting at every Chitauri ship she could see. Nanna laughed and started playing a weird little game of tag with the Chitauri, making them chase her before disappearing and reappearing behind them so that Britta could blast them to pieces.

"This is awesome!" The three girls cried together, their different voices coming out of the same mouth and making a weird but wonderful sound.

"This is not a game Britta!" Steve shouted in her ear. Britta screamed and nearly dropped out of the sky in shock. She'd forgotten about the earpiece Steve had forced her to put on.

Britta shook her head and flew after a Chitauri ship that whizzed by. "It's not just me Cap." She said before pasting the Chitauri flyer. He fried, literally, and the mini ship thing crashed into the side of a building. "Nanna's having fun too." She said.

Steve said something but Britta didn't hear it. A Chitauri fired at her and she had to drop down to avoid getting blasted. "Sorry Steve." Nanna mumbled once they were flying again. Grid growled and blew up the Chitauri who fired at them.

"Take that you nasty reptile!" Grid shouted at the now dead Chitauri.

"Where the hell are you guys?!" Britta shouted before getting hit right in the stomach by a pulse of energy shot at her by a Chitauri. Not Tesseract energy either. It was something different, possibly pure energy. It hurt and sent her spinning through the air but she quickly recovered, the Tesseract energy speeding up her healing.

"Did you stop for drive-thru?" Tony asked, having apparently connected to their comm link. "Swing up Park, I'm gonna lay them out for you." He said.

A few seconds later Tony flew by Britta, grabbing her wrist as he did. He pulled her through the air to make sure the Chitauri didn't run into her and to make sure the infamous Black Widow didn't blast her out of the sky. Which she very nearly did as she shot at the Chitauri following them. She hit most of them but missed a few. Britta tapped on Tony's head, waved bye, and slipped out of his grip. She flew off, making the Chitauri fly after her as Tony took off towards the portal again.

"Britta, Thor's here." Steve said after a minute.

"How's he doing?" Britta asked immediately, flying sharply around a corner to avoid the energy the Chitauri were shooting at her. She looked back in time to see two of them bank horribly and slam straight into a building.

"Fighting Lo-." Steve was suddenly cut off and Britta looked towards the Tower to see what had happened. Her eyes widened as she saw the Quinjet falling out of the sky.

Britta flew after them but couldn't reach them in time. They crashed into the ground and she screamed purely out of fear for them. "Guys?! Guys?!" She screamed into the ear piece as she ungracefully landed near the jet. She ran towards the fallen aircraft and poured on the speed when she saw the back of the jet open. Nanna attacked Steve, hugging him tightly, but when she pulled away Britta took over again. Britta slammed her fist into Steve's arm and he let out a small shout of pain. "Answer me next time asshat!" She shouted at him.

"I'm sorry!" Steve shouted, a tad surprised. He looked up towards the sky and started running. The other three followed after him, their eyes on the sky as well. "We've got to get back up there!" Steve said as they ran.

A loud booming roar filled the air and they all stopped, looking up towards the portal. "Oh gods." Britta whispered as a gigantic freaking space whale looking thing flew out of the portal, looking as deadly as can be. "That's going to be freaking hard to kill." She said mournfully, sighing.

The four of them watched as the space whale flew above them, Chitauri soldiers flying off of it. They landed on the walls of the buildings on either side of the street and started firing at the civilians running for safety and screaming. Britta threw up shields around as many civilians as she could but it wasn't enough. She couldn't protect all of them. Tears stung her eyes as she watched the people she'd sworn to protect dying.

"Stark are you seeing this?" Steve asked.

"I'm seeing. Still working on believing." Tony answered, flying towards the space whale. "Where's Banner? Has he shown up yet?" He asked.

"Banner?" Steve asked in confusion as they all rushed to duck behind nearby Taxis.

"Just keep me posted." Tony told him.

Britta screamed in fury as she blasted a Chitauri out of the sky. The three others looked at her, slightly shocked by the look of pain on her face. "I'm going to kill Loki for this!" Britta screamed, shooting down two more Chitauri chariots.

Clint nodded his agreement. "I'll help." He told her.

Britta turned to Clint and smiled, hitting a chariot out of the sky without looking. "I'd like that Quiver." She told him cheerfully. She would have shook his hand but the Tesseract energy was still around her and she was afraid she'd hurt him if she touched him.

"What did you just call me?" Clint asked, an eyebrow raised. Britta smirked at him before firing at another couple of Chitauri.

Britta felt the familiar sharpness of Loki's brainwaves and looked up to see him flying on a Chitauri chariot, blasting at people with his scepter. The four of them watched as people flew and cars exploded, their anger growing. "They're fish in a barrel down there." Steve said, staring at the poor people being blown away.

A pulse of energy slammed into the taxi they were all kneeled behind. Natasha shot to her feet and started firing repeatedly at the Chitauri now on the street. Clint ducked behind a different taxi to get a better look at their enemy. Natasha ducked back down and turned to Steve and Britta. "We got this. It's good. Go." She told them.

Steve looked over at Clint. "You think you got this?" He asked the archer.

Clint turned to look at them. "Captain." He said and pressed a button on his bow. His quiver mechanically chose an arrow and Britta stared at it in amazement, once again impressed by technology. "It would be my genuine pleasure." He said seriously, smirking a bit. He took a deep breath before shooting to his feet, pulling out the chosen arrow as he did. He notched it and fired it at the Chitauri. Britta watched in amazement as it pierced the middle of a Chitauri's forehead and fired bullets at the other nearby Chitauri.

"That is awesome." Britta said, grinning. Clint shot her a grin before firing off another arrow.

Steve took off towards the civilians and Britta took to the air, chasing after Loki. "Steve I have to get Loki okay? Don't get hurt." Britta told the Captain, sounding incredibly apologetic.

"Britta I'm fine." Steve said though the explosions going off around him kind of made her not believe him. "Just blast Loki from the sky alright?"

"With pleasure." All three girls purred before pouring on the speed.

Grid took over as they got closer to Loki and fired at him mercilessly, aiming to kill. Loki shot at her but it was Tesseract energy. Grid just snatched it from the air, unhurt, condensed it down to the size of a baseball and threw it back at Loki. He knocked it away with his scepter, sending it flying into a nearby building. It exploded, sending chunks of concrete and glass flying. Grid cursed loudly as she dodged flying debris, building up more Tesseract energy on her hands to blast at Loki.

A Chitauri shot at Grid, blasting her in the side. Grid crashed into the side of a building but it was Britta who felt the impact and fell towards the ground. She crashed into the asphalt, making a huge dint in the ground. She groaned in pain, flipping onto her back. Her nose was broken but she quickly reset it. It healed almost instantly. The rest of her was remotely broken but a few quick seconds and she was back on her feet. As a result though of the Tesseract healing that many injuries her delusions suddenly became more vivid. She saw Tony lying on the ground dead, she saw Steve stabbed through the middle with Loki's scepter, saw Thor standing not far off with bright Tesseract eyes. Britta stumbled forward, the world spinning.

"Britta are you okay?" Nanna asked worriedly.

"Of course she's not!" Grid snapped though she didn't sound too angry. "Britta, honey, you need to man up now okay? You're gonna get killed if you don't snap out of it." She said, sounding incredibly worried.

"I know." Britta said, stumbling towards where she'd last seen Steve. "But they're so...they look so real. And I'm wanting...they could all be my slaves you know. One little command, just one simple push of the mind, and they'd all bow down to me." She said, looking around at the actual real dead bodies lying around.

Nanna and Grid both shuddered. They loved Britta and hearing her so out of character, hearing her so _hungry_ for power, made them want to scream. "Britta! Snap out of it! What would Bruce think of you if he heard you talking like this?!" Grid suddenly shouted.

Britta stopped suddenly. "Oh my gods, he'd hate me." She whispered, looking towards a delusion of Bruce. He wasn't dying and he didn't even have Tesseract eyes. It was just him, staring at her. Staring at her as if she was a monster. Britta shuddered and closed her eyes, remembering the old exercises they'd made her perform back when she was recovering from insanity. Breathing deeply and remembering the love she felt towards people. It sounded dumb but it worked. Britta clenched her fists and opened her eyes. "Okay. I'm okay. Let's go keep Steve from dying." Britta said. She took to the air, ignoring the delusions around her as she did.


	25. Bruce's Return

Britta landed down in the middle of the master assassins and Steve. Immediately she started blasting at the Chitauri, disintegrating a few of them but missing others. She looked over at the assassins and nearly got hit by an energy blast she was so shocked. "Nat are you using one of their weapons?!" She shouted over the fighting and exploding things.

"Yep!" Natasha shouted back before blasting back another Chitauri soldier.

Britta looked admiringly at Natasha until Clint caught her eye. They exchanged grins, grins that silently made them best friends for both finding the Black Widow beyond badass. "How you doing Quiver?!" Britta shouted at him, shooting down a Chitauri.

"Never been better Blondie!" Clint shouted back, firing an arrow into a Chitauri's face.

"Blondie?!" Britta shouted.

Clint's laughter was drowned out by the sudden lightning that came down from the sky and fried the Chitauri soldiers in front of them. Thor landed and Britta squealed happily, running over to him. She leapt at him, wrapping her arms around her neck. He groaned but patted her back. "It is good to see you too sister." Thor told her.

Britta grinned and pulled away, noticing the blood on Thor's armor as she did. "What happened?" She asked worriedly.

Thor looked up towards the Tower and his eyes darkened slightly. "Loki stabbed me." He admitted without looking at her.

"What's the news upstairs?" Steve asked, interrupting whatever Britta was about to say in response.

"The power surrounding the cube is impenetrable." Thor told the Captain.

"Thor's right." Tony said over the comm link. He was loud enough for Thor to hear though, thankfully. "We've got to deal with these guys." He said.

Britta nodded, looking around at the flying chariots. "He's right. The Chitauri are doing too much damage for us to focus on the Tesseract." She said, frowning sadly at that. She didn't want the Tesseract to close anymore. The power would weaken and she wouldn't be able to get away with using its energy. Britta shook her head, she shouldn't be thinking like that.

The others looked towards the sky too. "How do we do this?" Natasha asked.

"As a team." Steve said like the leader he was.

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor said.

"Yeah?" Clint said, catching Thor's attention. "Well get in line." He said. Britta smirked at that but she couldn't help adding herself to that line. She may have gotten her answer on why he didn't kill her but that didn't mean everything was settled between her and her once friend.

"Save it." Steve said sternly, almost sounding like a dad. Britta and Grid snickered but Nanna stared admiringly at Steve, as if he was the savior of the world. Well...actually...if they pulled this off he would be. Britta groaned at the thought, Nanna wouldn't shut up about Steve for weeks if they managed to save the world. "Loki's gonna keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need. Without him these things could run wild. We got Stark up top, he's gonna need us to-." Steve stopped his little speech when he heard the easily recognizable sound of a motorbike approaching.

Everyone turned and instantly they all saw Bruce riding up on a motorbike. A huge grin appeared on Britta's face and she ran over to him. He had just managed to get off the bike before she crashed into him, her arms wrapping around his neck. "Bruce I was worried!" She told him, hugging him tightly. She placed a kiss on his cheek and pulled away just enough to look at his face. Britta took pleasure in the fact that his arms were wrapped around her waist and she absolutely loved his flushed cheeks. "Where have you been mister?" She asked, giving him a stern look.

Bruce smiled at her. "Well I didn't exactly crash down near here. It takes time to reach a city under attack." He told her. Britta smiled at him and he gently pulled away from her. Britta grabbed his hand and squeezed it before letting him go completely. She smiled and scurried over to Steve's side, grinning like an idiot. Clint and Natasha exchanged looks and Britta stuck her tongue out at them which just made them smirk. "So this all seems horrible." Bruce said, chuckling a little.

"I've seen worse." Natasha commented, eyeing Bruce, which earned her a sharp look from Britta.

Bruce looked at her apologetically. "Sorry." He said sincerely.

"No we could use a little worse." Natasha said, making up for her comment. Bruce nodded a little and Britta grinned at him.

"Stark." Steve said, remembering he was supposed to keep Tony posted. "We got him."

"Banner?" Tony asked in confirmation.

"Just like you said." Steve answered.

"Then tell him to suit up." Tony said. Bruce heard him and smiled, looking over at Britta. She held up a thumbs up, grinning wildly at him. He chuckled at her, shaking his head a little. "I'm bringing the party to you." Tony said.

Tony suddenly flew around the corner and coming right after him was the gigantic freaking space whale. Thor growled slightly and readjusted his grip on Mjolnir. "I-I don't see how that's a party." Natasha said, staring at the space whale.

Britta laughed a bit. "You're right, it looks more like a ball." She said jokingly as the space whale smashed apart buildings. "Hey Tony if you get eaten I'm gonna kill you!" She shouted cheerfully.

"Roger that." Tony said and Britta laughed.

Bruce looked back at them all, catching Britta's eye. He gave her a look, a look that begged her to understand and not get frightened when he did what he had to do. Britta smiled at him, silently telling him that she was fine with him Hulking out. He nodded and started walking towards the space whale.

"Doctor Banner." Steve said, stepping forward. He sounded worried, mostly because he had no clue that Bruce was actually going to do what they needed him to. "Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Steve said.

Bruce turned around as he walked and smiled. "That's my secret Captain." He said brightly. Bruce stopped and turned around to look at them all, his face serious now. "I'm always angry."

Bruce turned back around and as he did he transformed. He grew, his clothes ripping, and his skin turned green. Britta watched him in admiring amazement and when the Hulk growled, punching the space whale in the face, she grinned. The space whale sent the Hulk skidding back but only a little. The space whale's tail came up and started falling down. Down towards them.

"Hold on." Tony said and fired a missile at the space whale.

Clint dived behind a car and Steve held up his shield in front of himself and Natasha. Thor grabbed Britta's arm and pulled her against his chest, ducking over a bit so he'd get hit instead of her. The missile exploded and bits of it and metal went flying. The fire reached the two Asgardians and they both hissed a bit as they were lightly burnt. Their skin started healing though the second the fire receded and the space whale's tail turned directions, sending it crashing down onto the street below. They all rose up, staring around as the Chitauri roared in fury. The Hulk immediately roared back and Britta grinned at how much louder he was compared to the army.

"Hey Tony." Britta said. Tony turned to look at her and she smiled at him. "You're awesome." She told him sincerely.

"Duly noted." Tony said though she could feel him smiling.

"Oh and big guy." Britta said, turning towards the Hulk. The big green guy looked down at her and she smiled up at him just as lovingly as she would Bruce. "That was amazing." She told him. Hulk grinned, proud of himself.

"Guys." Natasha said, catching all of their attention.

Everyone turned and followed the Black Widow's gaze upwards to the portal. Two more space whales were flying down towards New York and behind them came even more Chitauri soldiers. "Call it Captain." Tony said.

"Alright listen up." Steve said, staring up at their enemy. "Until we can close the portal up there we're gonna use containment. Barton I want you on that roof," he pointed up to a nearby roof, "eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark, you got perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out you turn it back or turn it to ash." Steve said.

"Wanna give me a lift?" Clint asked, looking over at Tony.

"Right." Tony said, nodding a bit. "Better clench up Legolas." He said. He grabbed the back of Clint's uniform and took off towards the roof.

Britta chuckled and turned to Natasha. "The hawk just flew." She said, grinning. Natasha chuckled and shook her head at Britta's humor.

"Thor, you got to try and bottleneck that portal." Steve said, continuing his orders. Thor nodded and looked up towards the portal again. "Slow them down. You've got the lightning. Light the bastards up." He said. Thor started spinning Mjolnir and seconds later he was flying towards the Empire State Building. Steve turned to Natasha and Britta. He pointed at Natasha. "You and me, we stay here on the ground, keep the fighting here." He told her. Steve looked uncertainly at Britta. "I don't know what you should do. We need someone in the air but we might need you here on the ground too." He said somewhat awkwardly.

"Don't worry about it Cap." Britta said, smiling.

"Yeah, we can do both." Nanna said brightly.

"We'll screw these reptiles up in the sky and on the ground." Grid said, grinning maliciously.

Steve nodded, finding the changing appearance a lot easier to deal with now that he'd been fighting an alien race for a couple of hours. "And Hulk." He said, turning to look at the big guy. Hulk grunted as he looked down at the super soldier. "Smash." Steve told him and the Hulk grinned wildly.

Britta and the Hulk leapt into the air at the same time. He flew straight at the Chitauri on the side of the buildings while she took off towards the chariots. Britta grinned as she heard him smashing things and added her own destruction to the noise. She blasted two Chitauri chariots out of the sky with ease, laughing in exhilaration as she did.


	26. Flying Through the Air

Britta landed down on the front of a chariot, right in front of a Chitauri soldier. She grinned at him and waved before blasting him right in the face with Tesseract energy. Immediately the chariot started to crash without its pilot and Britta leapt back into the air just before the chariot crashed into a building. She flew upwards corkscrew style, blasting energy in all directions. She threw up her hands and hit a chariot directly above her, blasting a hole in its floor. Britta flew straight up through it and blasted the Chitauri on the chariot, grinning wildly as she did.

"Hi Thor!" Britta shouted as she flew past him.

"Having fun there Alien?" Tony asked as he whizzed by her, several Chitauri on his tail. Britta blasted two of them out of the sky before u-turning in the air and heading back towards Steve and Natasha.

"Yep! I haven't fought like this in ages!" Britta said, laughing as she did. She aimed at a chariot but before she could fire it exploded. Britta looked over and saw Clint looking the other way, his bow still raised and pointed at where the chariot had just been. He hadn't even been looking! "Oh my gods Quiver you're badass!" She said excitedly.

"Thanks Blondie." Clint said, smiling.

Britta grinned before suddenly spinning around as she heard the roar of a space whale behind her. She squealed and shot upwards, avoiding the gigantic thing's teeth. Her eyes fell on the Hulk beating at the whale's underbelly and she waved at him though she knew he couldn't see her. "Steve! How are you guys doing?" She asked as she once again had to change her direction instead of heading back towards the Captain.

"Natasha's on a chariot. Help her out will you?" Steve said.

"Alright but what about you?" Britta asked worriedly.

"Britta I'm fine. Tony just came down here, he helped me out." Steve said. He paused for a second and Nanna bit her lip in worry for the super soldier. "I know you swore to protect me Britta but your first duty is to protect the city. If helping the others helps the city then that's what you need to do." He told her.

Britta and Nanna bit their lip but Grid rolled her eyes. "Let's go help the Widow shall we?" She said and forced them to head towards the redhead on a chariot.

Natasha glanced back when she heard something land on the chariot behind her. She sighed when she saw that it was just Britta. "Hey. Come to give me flying lessons?" She called back to the Asgardian Halfling.

Britta cast a spell to secure her feet to the chariot. "Nah, you're doing pretty well." She told the deadly redhead who grinned in response. Britta fired at the other chariots they passed, grinning as each one was blasted out of the sky. "I think I could teach you a thing or two about aim though Red!" Britta said jokingly.

"We'll see about that Elf!" Natasha replied and they both grinned. Britta shot down another chariot and saw, out of the corner of her eye, a blast of Tesseract energy hit the building beside them. Natasha and her both turned. Britta cursed loudly but all Natasha said was "Oh, you." As if she was talking to Loki himself.

Britta fired at Loki, trying to hit him, but all she managed to hit were the pulses of Tesseract energy he shot at them. It did absolutely nothing but at least it kept them from getting hit. Britta glared at Loki and he glared back.

"Hawkeye!" Natasha called over the comm link when she realized Britta couldn't hit Loki with her swerving out of the way of Loki's own blasts.

"Nat what are you doing?" Clint asked, sounding somewhere between confused and amazed.

"Uh, a little help?" Natasha said.

There was a pause and then Britta sensed Clint smirking. "I got him." He told them.

They flew by and Clint fired at Loki. Britta watched as the arrow flew straight towards Loki's head, her eyes wide. She was going to see Loki die. She was going to see her old best friend get killed by a freaking arrow through the head. Britta prepared to see his blood but it didn't happen. Loki caught the arrow before anything could happen and turned to look at Clint, smirking. The arrow blinked and suddenly Loki was blasted from the sky.

Britta crowed. "Nice hit Quiver!" She shouted excitedly, punching the air. She accidentally sent out a blast of Tesseract energy, hitting a Chitauri chariot out of the sky.

"Smooth move Blondie." Clint said, chuckling.

"Oh shut up." Britta said, smiling, before going back to firing at chariots.

"Britta I'm gonna jump!" Natasha shouted.

Britta spun around and looked at Natasha in shock. "What?!" She shouted. Natasha shot her a smile before leaping off of the chariot. Britta watched as she fell down towards Stark Tower's roof and cast a quick spell to keep Natasha from breaking any bones. Then she leapt into the air, just managing not to crash with the chariot. Unfortunately she leaped right in front of an oncoming chariot. It slammed into her side and she screamed in pain before slipping beneath it and falling down towards the ground.

The crash into the ground hurt a hell of a lot more than last time. She'd fallen from a greater height this time and more than just a few bones got broke this time. Her spine snapped and she was paralyzed. Britta stared up at the sky, at the Chitauri flying above, at the portal, at the explosions. The Tesseract energy started healing her but she was so severely injured that it was taking a while. Her vision was so blurry and she was so weak. Britta just wanted to close her eyes and sleep. She took a deep breath and released it by screaming in pain. Her ribs were broken and one had stabbed her lung. Britta immediately started channeling most of her magic into healing the punctured lung.

"This is bad. Oh God this is bad." Britta whispered in pain the second her lung was fine and she could breath somewhat okay.

"Oh not particularly." Grid said nonchalantly. "You've been in worse if you remember." She reminded her.

Britta chuckled a little. "Yeah but most of those times were Thor's fault." She said.

"If your memories are correct Loki ruined things a couple of times." Nanna said.

"His mess ups were a whole helluva lot worse." Britta said, laughing a bit.

Britta sighed and started searching for everyone through their brainwaves. Clint had crashed through a window, Steve and Thor were getting worn down, the Hulk was being shot at, Tony was on the ground, and Natasha was desperately trying to find a way to shut down the portal. Britta closed her eyes and bit her lip. They were getting pretty beat up. If they couldn't get the portal closed soon...they might not be able to win this thing. It was all her fault to. If she hadn't picked up that stupid cube it would never have ended up here and it would never have been used to open a stupid portal that let a stupid army of stupid Chitauri enter New York and kill a bunch of people! Britta hated herself more than anything in that moment and she felt tears well up in her eyes.

Tony flew over Britta and she heard his thoughts briefly. Great, now there was a nuke. She let out a scream of frustrated self loathing, hitting the ground with her now unparalyzed fists like a child. Britta sat up, her spine feeling great now that it was healed, and buried her face in her hands. This was all her fault.

"Stop it Britta, we don't have time for this." Nanna said forcefully, getting to her feet. Britta tried to sit back down but Nanna managed to keep her up. "No. If this is your fault then you've got to do everything you can to fix it. Steve told you that. Now come on!" Nanna shouted furiously.

"Damn you and your logic Nanna." Britta grumbled. She was shaking and she wanted nothing more than to collapse back onto the ground but Nanna was right. This was her mess and she had to fix it. Britta took off towards the sky and flew straight towards Steve and Thor. They were just standing there, waiting for more Chitauri to battle, and Britta landed down right beside them. Her eyes instantly landed on Steve's hand pressed to his side and she stared at him in worry. "Oh gods Steve are you okay? I'm so sorry! I should have been here!" She said, looking at the wound as if it could kill Steve. It probably couldn't unless it got infected but still.

"Don't worry about it Britta. I'm fine." Steve told her.

Britta's body suddenly convulsed and she pressed her hand to her heart, shocked by it. Thor and Steve looked at her with concern but she ignored them, looking up towards the Tesseract. Something had pierced its shield. "I can close it." Natasha suddenly said. "Can anybody hear me? I can shut the portal down." She said.

"Do it!" Steve said immediately.

"No wait!" Tony said quickly.

Steve looked towards the sky, looking for Tony. "Stark those things are still coming!" He said.

"I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute." Tony explained. "And I know just where to put it." He added a minute later.

Britta realized what Tony meant a second later. "He's gonna put it through the portal." She said, her eyes wide with shock.

Steve stared at Britta for a moment, taking in the look of shock and pain on her face before he took in her words. When he realized what she said he sighed deeply. Tony was going to sacrifice himself to save everyone else. He was gonna lay down on the wire. "Stark, you know that's a one way trip?" He asked, just to make sure. Tony didn't reply, just kept flying the nuke towards the portal. Steve hung his head, hating himself for ever saying that Tony Stark was not a hero.

"Oh gods I'm gonna lose another friend." Britta said mournfully. Thor held out his arm and Britta instantly tucked herself beneath it. He squeezed her shoulders comfortingly and all three of them looked towards the sky, towards the portal. Towards where Tony would more than likely die.


	27. The Portal

Britta bit down on her lip so hard that it bled when she saw her friend fly through that portal. She waited, expecting to see her friend flying immediately back out, but Tony didn't come back through. The air suddenly filled with the sound of a far off and yet extremely close by explosion and Britta knew the nuke had hit something.

Suddenly, every single one of the Chitauri around them dropped to the ground. The last space whale crashed into a building, dead. Britta and the others stared at the aliens in shock, expecting them to get back up. They didn't though. They all looked back up at the portal, their eyes searching for Tony.

"Please Tony, please come back." Britta begged her friend even though she had expected this.

The portal suddenly lit up, showing some of the explosion that had occurred in space. Thor and Britta looked over at Steve, both of them knew what had to happen. The portal had to close if they didn't want Manhattan to burn. Steve looked over at them and understood immediately. He looked back up at the portal. "Close it." He ordered though he sounded so far from happy that it wasn't even funny.

Britta suddenly screamed, feeling Loki's scepter pierce into the Tesseract. Britta felt the energy inside her pulse and she nearly screamed again in complete and utter pain. "Britta?" Thor asked worriedly, looking at her.

"I'm fine." Britta growled, looking back up at the sky. She felt the Tesseract energy in her churning, moving about like some sort of wild beast trapped inside of her. It wanted out but she couldn't let it escape. If she did it'd vaporize Steve and Thor and she just couldn't let that happen. She bit back another scream as her eyes focused on the falling form of Tony.

"Son of a gun." Steve said, staring up at Tony.

Britta smiled as much as her pain would allow but as Tony kept falling her smile slipped. "He's not slowing down." Thor said. He started swinging Mjolnir and Britta slipped out from beneath him, giving him room. Just as he was about to fly up and save Tony the Hulk came flying out of nowhere, catching Tony.

"Oh thank gods." Britta whispered in relief, watching the Hulk slide down the side of a building with Tony in his grip. The Hulk leapt off the side of the building and landed back in their main fighting zone, landing on his back and placing Tony on his chest so that the genius didn't get hurt. "Come on." Britta said as she took off towards her friend and the Big Guy, ignoring the pain inside of her.

Thor flipped Tony over the second he reached them and they all stared at him, expecting him to move. He didn't though and Thor quickly wrenched Tony's faceplate off, revealing the fact that Tony's eyes were closed. Steve leaned down, trying to see if Tony was breathing. He wasn't though. Britta knew he wasn't. The arc reactor's light wasn't glowing its usual bright blue. It was dimmed. So dimmed it's light was nearly impossible to see. Britta felt tears well up in her eyes and she leaned against Thor for support as she felt her heart breaking. He was gone. Tony was gone. One of the first friends she'd had in thousands of years and he was gone.

Suddenly the Hulk roared and Tony's eyes flew open with a startled cry. Britta let out a joyous cry and her tears suddenly became ones of joy. The Hulk roared and pounded his chest, as if he was celebrating. He probably was. "What the hell? What just happened?" Tony asked, staring around at them. "Please tell me nobody kissed me." Tony said.

"Shut up Tony." Britta said, grinning at him. He smiled back, his eyes shining.

"We won." Steve said, smiling.

Tony sighed, closing his eyes briefly. "Alright, yay!" Tony said, sounding worn out. "Alright good job guys. Let's just not come in tomorrow. Let's just take a day." Tony said, groaning slightly as he spoke. Steve grinned and Britta laughed joyously. "Have you ever tried Shawarma?" Tony asked, looking towards the Hulk as if he was speaking to him and actually expected a reply. "There's a Shawarma joint about two blocks from here. I don't know what it is but I want to try it." Tony said.

"We're not finished yet." Thor reminded them.

Steve looked towards the Tower while Britta nodded. "And then Shawarma after." Tony said. Britta smiled at him, shaking her head.

Suddenly, without warning, the Tesseract energy in Britta just seemed to explode. Her body felt too small for the Tesseract energy suddenly and she dropped to the ground, pressing a hand to her heart. It pulsed again and she felt like her body was being split apart. She screamed and squeezed her eyes shut as the pain became too much. It pulsed again and her eyes flew back open for a second. Everything, _everything_, was Tesseract blue. Britta screamed but it was suddenly cut off as her lungs stopped working. Her eyes shut again and she dropped to the ground, feeling as if something huge was leaving her as she did.

**Hi! Did you like the chapters? I hope you did. Thank all of you for everything and especially thank you to my main reviewers! Thanks for all of the encouragement! Here's a million dollars for all of you! Go buy food!**


	28. Retrieving Loki

Steve stared down at Britta, his eyes wide with shock. Tesseract energy was pulsing out of her and forming two somethings on either side of her. Steve watched as the Tesseract energy suddenly solidified into two very familiar girls. They were bright Tesseract blue but as a minute went by they slowly became normal colored. Well as normal colored as they could be. Dressed too, surprisingly, in clothes almost identical to Britta's.

"Are those...?" Tony asked, looking at the two girls.

"I think so." Steve answered, staring down at Nanna.

Britta suddenly stirred and Thor was by her side immediately, helping her to her feet. She groaned as she stood up and held on desperately to Thor as her legs wobbled beneath her. Britta felt incredibly, horribly, viciously weak. She searched for the Tesseract energy that had knocked her out and she found it but there was something incredibly off about it. It was...severely depleted. There was enough to make her immune to Tesseract energy but not enough for her to use as a weapon. Britta rubbed her knuckles against her forehead as she felt a gigantic headache pulsing there. All four guys, even the Hulk, were shocked and their minds were buzzing numbly because of it.

"Wh-what happened?" Britta asked, looking up at Thor. He didn't tell her though, just stared at her in shock. Britta scrunched her eyebrow together in confusion and turned to Steve. "Is everything okay?" She asked worriedly. He wouldn't even look at her though. Britta slowly followed his gaze downwards and felt her breath hitch when she saw Grid and Nanna lying there. "W-what the hell? Why are th-they...? What?" Britta asked, staring at the voices in her head that were no longer in her head. "Nanna? Grid?" Britta asked, slowly kneeling down beside them. Their eyes were closed, were they dead? No, their chests were rising and falling. "Hey? Sweetie? Hon? Wake up will you?" Britta said, shaking their arms.

Nanna opened her eyes first. Her gaze immediately fell on Britta and for a second she just stared, her eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Then she suddenly seemed to realize what had happened and she shot into a sitting position, her eyes huge. "Oh my gods what happened?!" Nanna asked frantically, raising her hands up to touch her face. _Her _face. She had her own face. It wasn't someone else's first. Nanna let out a little joyful gasp. "I'm...I'm real." She said, shocked.

Britta chuckled at Nanna, finding her absolutely adorable now that she could actually physically see her instead of just in her head or through Nanna's eyes. Grid slowly opened her eyes when she heard that chuckle, wondering how that was possible if she was in control. Just like Nanna her eyes fell immediately on Britta but it took her a lot less time to realize what had happened. She reached up and touched her face, letting out a deep sigh when she felt her own skin beneath her own fingers. "I love the Tesseract." Grid whispered, sounding astronomically happy. And astronomically tired.

"Uh not that this isn't interesting," Tony said gaining everyone's attention, "but we've still got to deal with Loki." He said, pointing towards his ruined Tower.

Britta nodded and shot to her feet. "Okay, we'll deal with this later. Girls, up." She said commandingly. Immediately, though they were extremely weak, the two girls got to their feet. Britta placed a hand on the small of each of their backs and they each grabbed one of her shoulders to steady themselves. "Oh gods this is weird." Britta said as she looked back and forth between the two girls.

The girls nodded. "Agreed." They said simultaneously. They all three smiled weakly before beginning the walk to the Tower.

The Hulk walked closely by them as they made their way to the Tower. His eyes were fixed on Grid, as if he knew who she was. He probably did. Bruce said the Hulk was in the back of his head at all times, pushing for control. So maybe he knew that Grid was bad news. Maybe the Hulk was waiting for her to go bazzerck. That was definitely what the others were doing. Steve, though he seemed to want to look at Nanna, didn't take his eyes off of Grid. Tony switched between watching the dark haired girl and Britta, his emotions going from cautious to worried. Thor was the only one who barely watched Grid, staring more at Britta in intense concern. Britta offered him a weak half smile, trying to assure him that she was fine.

The Hulk, of course, could not go up in the elevator when they reached the Tower. He had to climb up the side which Tony didn't mind since his Tower was already smashed up. The rest of them though piled into the elevator and Tony told Jarvis to take them straight up to Loki. "You two should probably stay in here." Britta told her voices as they headed up.

"Why?" Nanna asked curiously.

Britta knew exactly why. Natasha and Clint who she knew were already up there with Loki. They were S.H.I.E.L.D agents, their first instinct would be to restrain Nanna and Grid because they were "potential threats." Just like Britta was a potential threat. Or was she? Did they still count her as one? "You were just literally born into the world, I don't want you using up too much energy. So just like sit in here okay? Sit in here and wait for me while we deal with Loki." Britta told them.

Nanna and Grid gave Britta looks and started to tell her they weren't weak. They thought it though instead of saying it and it _hurt_. All three girls gasped and grabbed their heads. They all looked at each other, horrified. "Can we not talk mentally anymore?" Nanna asked, her bottom lip trembling.

"I don't know." Britta mumbled, rubbing her knuckles across her forehead.

The elevator doors opened and they all stepped out. Britta shot the two girls pleading looks though and they immediately retreated back into the elevator. They sat down on the ground and stared at her intensely as she walked with the others over to an unconscious Loki. Natasha smiled slightly as she approached and held out Loki's scepter. "Hey Elf, you want this?" She asked.

Britta stared at the scepter, at the gem inside it connected to the Tesseract. "No, you keep it. I don't want it." Britta said, taking a step away from the scepter. Natasha nodded and turned back to look at Loki who was stirring.

Clint dropped to his knee, notching an arrow. They all gathered around him, staring down at Loki as he crawled up at the steps. Britta leaned against Tony casually, as if her legs weren't incredibly weak. She put on a glare though as Loki paused, realizing they were there, and turned to look at them. Clint raised his bow so that the arrow was pointing directly at Loki's head. Loki looked at him then glanced at everyone else, probably trying to decide if he should try and fight them. He seemed to decide against it cause he sighed. "If it's all the same to you," he said and smirked slightly, "I'll have that drink now." He said, looking at Tony.

"Shut up Loki." Britta said. She snapped her fingers and a muzzle appeared on Loki's face. He glared at her but she just smirked at him, feeling beyond good for pissing him off. "Also, uh, yeah, you suck." She told him, grinning now. Britta snapped her fingers again and cuffs appeared on Loki's hands. Cuffing and muzzling Loki drained her quite a bit and she leaned a bit more heavily on Tony, breathing a bit shallowly. "I need food." She grumbled.

"We'll get food, don't worry." Tony assured her. He glanced backwards at the Hulk. _"Hey, you can still read minds right?" _He thought.

_"Yep." _Britta thought back, sending the thought to his head.

_"Good. So we should probably get Bruce back." _Tony thought to her.

Britta nodded a bit and pushed herself away from Tony, walking over to the Hulk. "Hey big guy." She said, approaching him cautiously. He stared down at her as if he was angry with her but, then again, the Hulk probably always looked angry. "You know who I am right?" She asked curiously, reaching for his arm. He grunted and she stopped suddenly but when he didn't do anything she gently placed her hand on his arm. He didn't try to attack her so she took that as a good sign. "You know my name don't ya big guy?" She asked.

"Bri-ta." Hulk said, breaking up her name into two separate fragments.

Britta smiled at him. "That's right big guy. Good." She said, her voice lowered enough to sound pleasant and soothing. "You fought really well, did you know that? I'm impressed." She told him. He grunted and grinned at her. She smiled back at him and gently pat his arm. "Yeah, big guy I'm proud of you. But would you mind letting Bruce out again? Please?" She asked him.

Hulk growled a little. "No want Banner out." He said. Britta couldn't stop herself from smiling at how much like a kid he sounded. His brainwaves were more undeveloped than most, poor thing. At least he understood basic things though.

"I know buddy, I know you don't like getting put away, but I need Bruce right now okay?" Britta said gently. She glanced over and noticed everyone staring at her, every single on of them (except Loki of course) ready to spring forward and save her if the Hulk did anything. "I'm really proud of you buddy. I really am. And I wish you didn't have to go but I miss Bruce. Please, let him come back out." She begged him as sweetly as she could.

"Proud?" Hulk asked, sounding confused.

"Yes big guy I'm very proud of you." Britta told him. The Hulk grinned at her and she grinned back. "So what do you say big guy? Will you do me this favor and let me have Bruce?" She asked him.

Hulk grunted and nodded. "No hurt Banner." He said, glaring over at Loki.

"I won't let him big guy." Britta assured him. Hulk nodded again and then he was shrinking. As he shrunk he grabbed the front of his pants that were becoming baggier and baggier by the second, holding them up. His skin slowly went from green to tan and Britta smiled when it was just Bruce standing before her, not the Hulk. "Welcome back Doctor Banner." Britta said cheerfully.

Bruce stared at her for a second then reach up, placing his hand on the side of her face. She felt her cheeks go bright red as he leaned in an inch or two. "Your eyes changed." He said, staring at them with interest.

Britta blinked in surprise and Bruce smirked a little. "What?" She asked, uncertain if she'd heard right.

"They're not completely blue anymore." Bruce explained, pulling away almost reluctantly. He let his hand drop back down to his side and he shifted his weight from foot to foot awkwardly. "They're pale grey now with just speckles of blue." He told her.

Britta grinned wildly and looked over at Thor. "Did you hear that? My eyes are their old color!" She said excitedly. Thor smiled at her, a bit amused. "Well mostly anyways but that actually makes sense." She said and gently touched the skin beneath her eyes, as if she could feel the color change in her eyes by doing so. She let out a happy little squeal and jumped up a bit. "Oh my gods my eyes are back!" Britta exclaimed happily.

Tony chuckled and placed a hand on Britta's shoulder. "Yeah Alien, they are." He said, smiling at her. He waited till she smiled back before turning to Bruce. "You should probably change big guy. If my closet isn't destroyed I should have something that fits you." He said.

Bruce looked down at his pants which were very nearly falling off of him. "Yeah, that would probably be a good idea." He admitted, smiling a little.

"I'll come upstairs with you guys." Britta said, following after the boys as they headed towards the elevator. "I've got a few things to deal with and you'll need help getting your armor off Tony." She said.

"Only if the lab's damaged." Tony pointed out as they stepped into the elevator.

Britta nodded and looked over at Bruce who was staring down at Nanna and Grid. The girls stared back up at him, Nanna smiling brightly and Grid smiling maliciously. "Oh yeah, most of the Tesseract energy inside me left me and formed these two. They are one hundred percent corporeal and one hundred percent formed from Tesseract energy." Britta informed Bruce.

Bruce nodded a bit, still staring at the two girls. "Have you tested to see what they can do yet?" He asked curiously.

"Not yet though we found out we can't talk mentally now. Though we do still seemed connected because our heads all hurt when we tried think talking." Britta admitted, rubbing at her forehead.

"'Think talk' is a really lame way of describing it." Grid said, smirking a bit.

"Shut up Grid." Britta and Nanna said simultaneously.


	29. Shawarma

Bruce stared at Grid distrustfully and she stared back, smirking at him in a way that made the Other Guy stir angrily. All the times Britta had ever mentioned Grid it was with a slight bit of hate and a tad bit of fear. Every single time she'd mentioned something horrible about Grid, like her whispering different ways to kill Bruce to Britta. Distrusting her was just common sense really. She could try and stab him at any moment.

"Grid, stop." Britta snapped angrily, glaring at the dark haired girl. Grid looked over at her and growled a bit but stopped smirking at Bruce. 'Sorry about her Bruce, I did tell you she liked to scare people right?" Britta said apologetically.

"You mentioned something near those lines yes." Bruce told her, eyeing Grid as she wandered a bit away from the group. They were all walking towards the Shawarma place like they promised Tony, Loki following behind them being dragged along by Thor.

"Grid don't touch the Chitauri weapons." Britta said when she noticed the other girl hungrily eyeing a Chitauri gun.

Grid growled loudly, making all of them jump slightly. "You're not in control anymore Britta! I've got my own mind and body now! I can do what I want!" She said furiously.

Britta spun around and stopped, forcing Grid to a stop too. She placed her face just an inch or so from Grid's, making sure the other girl could see her freshly recovered eyes. Grid and Nanna had Tesseract eyes but not Britta, not anymore. "I may not be in control but that doesn't mean I won't stop you from doing harmful things. Remember that." She said darkly, glaring at Grid furiously. She glared at Grid for another second or two before turning away abruptly. She started walking again, placing herself beside Bruce. "So what exactly happened to you before you got here?" Britta asked curiously.

"I crashed into a warehouse, got advice and some pants from a security guard, and uh 'borrowed' a motorbike." Bruce said, smiling a little.

"Well I guess we should be thanking that security guard for your arrival." Britta said thoughtfully.

"Probably." Bruce admitted sheepishly.

Britta smiled at him and grabbed his hand. "I'm just kidding Brucie." She said, swinging their entwined hands back and forth. "I knew you'd show up. You're too good to just abandon people in need." She told him. Bruce smiled a bit at her, his cheeks a bit red. Britta grinned wildly at the red and poked his cheek. "I love that." She informed him before gently pulling away to talk to Tony.

Bruce stared after her, wondering if she was okay. She was paler than usual and the way she was walking, as if she barely had enough energy to walk. And there, Tony was wrapping his arm around her waist and she was wrapping an arm around his shoulders. They were too tense for the gesture to be endearing which meant Tony was holding Britta up. Bruce's eyes briefly drifted away from Britta to stare at the two girls that had come out of her head. They both looked a little weak but they also looked a whole helluva lot stronger than Britta. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that the two girls were made from the Tesseract energy Britta had lost, the energy that had healed her repeatedly during the last twenty four hours. And the way her eyes kept looking intensely at things none of them could see..it worried Bruce. It worried him greatly.

When they reached the Shawarma joint they all sighed in relief, walking into the little restraint. "Hey so can we have everything on the menu?" Tony asked as they walked in.

There were only three people inside the restaurant, the owner and two of his workers, but they made such a fuss over them that you would have thought they were a million people. They thanked them again and again for saving the city as they showed them to a table. Tony, always the social one and the one most used to fan love, talked to them and managed to get them to stop praising them. He got them to charge them for their meal, though they said they'd give it to them for free, and paid for all of it. He then escorted Loki back outside and tied him to a nearby lamppost with rope Britta happily provided for him.

"You know, he has a really strong glare." Tony said when he was sitting down with the rest of them at the table. Grid was sitting at a table not far off, passed out in the seat already.

"He's always been like that. As a kid he thought expressions were some of the greatest weapons available." Britta said. She thought he had been right in thinking so but she didn't say so, just in case it made the assassins twitch towards their weapons. Britta twisted her seat until her head could rest on Bruce's shoulder with ease and she could prop her legs up on Tony's. "I am so tired." Britta said, chuckling a little.

"Don't fall asleep until you've eaten." Bruce told her, using the doctor tone on her.

Britta smiled softly, closing her eyes for a second. "Okay doc, I won't." She told him.

Nanna smiled over at them from where she was leaning against Steve's arm. He had yet to tell her to get off of him so she moved her chair a bit closer to his. His cheeks flushed a bit red but she didn't notice. "Look at them, they're so cute." Nanna said, gesturing to Bruce and Britta. The two of them immediately looked over at her, eyebrows raised in a "really?" look.

When Nanna just kept smiling at them Britta fell back into her rested position. "Nan, sweetie, shut up." She said sweetly, smiling lightly.

"You shut up sweetie." Nanna said cheerfully, grinning.

"Both of you hons need to shut up." Grid grumbled from her table.

"Shut up Grid."

Everyone stared at the three girls, a little disturbed. Was this what it was like inside Britta's head? Were comments like Nanna's normal? Were the little pet names a new development or had they always called each other that? It was just really weird, having two beings that didn't exist a few hours ago sitting at their table being so abnormal. An hadn't Britta said Grid was deadly? Hadn't she mentioned not liking Grid? Hadn't she said she _hated_ Grid?

"We can all hear your thoughts." The three girls said simultaneously.

Natasha and Clint's face flushed with annoyed anger but everyone else looked mildly ashamed. "They can read minds too guys. They've always been able to. When I let them have control they could tell me every thought in a person's head." Britta explained. "So I'd be careful around them like you have been around me." She warned them.

"You all have some pretty interesting thoughts..." Nanna said sheepishly, smiling sweetly at them all.

"Oh yes, very interesting." Grid said and flashed them all a demonic grin.

"Grid, stop it now or I'll muzzle you and cuff you to the lamppost with Loki." Britta said threateningly.

Before Grid could say anything and before anyone could suggest that Britta should do that anyways their food was brought to them. Everyone immediately started digging in, eating in silence and getting their hands on as much food as they could. The Asgardians and the Tesseract girls ate the most though Bruce very nearly matched them. Steve ate almost as much as Bruce while the three only humans ate a fair amount more than average but couldn't even match the rest of them. They switched on and off who stared out the window to make sure Loki was still there and by the end they were all doing it, just laid back in their seats staring out at the glaring Loki surrounded by the wreckage he had caused.

"So what are we going to do with him?" Tony finally asked.

"I suggest we send him back to Asgard." Britta said immediately. Everyone looked at her but she just kept staring out at Loki, her eyes darkened slightly. "He's not human and he's not of this earth so he cannot be judged by mortals and sentenced by their government. Asgard has no preordained punishment for things like this but they can handle a crime against a planet much better than this world. And besides, he has crimes to account for there." She said, almost to herself and yet almost to Thor and then almost to Loki or someone who wasn't even there. Britta looked over at the two master assassins, her eyes filled with a stern threatening light. The Tesseract blue in them was glowing brightly but she didn't know that. "If we tried to send him back to Asgard would you try to stop us?" Britta asked them, her voice lowered in a somewhat threatening way.

Clint and Natasha glared at her in annoyance for a second before looking over at each other. They seemed to be having a conversation based purely on their expressions. Finally they both turned back. "We think you're right." Natasha said seriously.

Britta visibly relaxed and she leaned so heavily against Bruce she could have had collapsed. "Good. I didn't feel like fighting you guys." She said, smiling weakly.

"Britta you should get some sleep. Your counterparts already have and they've done much less than you today." Bruce said, looking at her worriedly. She looked like she'd be able to sleep for a week and that probably wasn't a good thing seeing as she was supposed to be a divine being. Weren't divine beings supposed to be a million times more durable than regular people? Bruce placed a hand on her forehead. "Britta, you're clammy and a bit feverish. You need to sleep." He told her firmly.

"Bruuuuuceeeeeeey." Britta whined, burying her face in his arm.

Steve chuckled slightly and rolled his shoulder till he realized Nanna was napping on it. His cheeks flushed which Tony noticed and chuckled at. "What's up with you outerspace types falling in love with us mortals?" Tony asked jokingly.

Britta looked over at Tony and smirked. "Really?" She asked, an amused eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, really." Tony said, smirking back. "Little Nan over there is practically snuggling with Capsicle, Thor's got a crush on a scientist, and you and the doctor already slept together."

"What?!" Clint shouted in surprise.

Britta and Bruce's faces turned bright red at everyone's reactions. Clint was shocked beyond shocked and looking at them curiously, like he was trying to figure out how exactly that worked. Natasha was trying so hard not to laugh and she was giving Britta little scandalous looks that just made the Asgardian blush deeper. Steve looked like he was embarrassed for them, his cheeks were so red and he seemed so awkward. And Thor. Oh gods Thor looked maaaaaad. He looked ready to get up from the table and bash Bruce's head in.

"We didn't sleep together." Bruce said calmly though he was giving Tony a death glare.

"We fell asleep beside each other in the lab on the Helicarrier and Tony moved us so that I was using Bruce as a pillow. No big deal." Britta said, giving Tony her own death glare. He just kept smirking, looking as if he thought he was the best person in the world. "Thor, please, nothing happened. I'm still pure, brother dear, so stop giving Bruce that look." Britta paused for a second. "And no you cannot smash his head in with Mjolnir if he ever touches me." She added, giving Thor a slightly annoyed look.

"You said 'if,' like you _want _him to touch you." Tony said, snickering a little.

"Anthony Edward Stark exactly how old are you?" Britta asked, giving her friend a "shut up" look.

"Don't say my full name Alien." Tony said though he didn't actually care. Britta didn't say it like everyone else did. She wasn't saying it in a stern "stop with this nonsense" way. She was playing, joking.

"Then act your age Metal Man." Britta said and lightly punched his arm.

"We should get back on track." Natasha said, interrupting the banter. Everyone looked over at her, giving her their full attention. "How are we going to get Loki back to Asgard?" She asked.

Thor and Britta looked over at each other and everyone else looked at them. Of course it would be one of those two who came up with the solution. They claimed to know ways to travel between their world and earth after all. "The Bifrost is still down Britta and father cannot summon the black magic needed to travel between the realms again." Thor told her.

Britta nodded a bit. "It would very unwise for the Allfather to try. Besides, it would require more black magic since there would be more than one traveling back. I'm sure Heimdall has seen our victory and alerted him though. He may choose to use black magic despite what we think to bring back Loki." She said, musing a bit. Bruce stared at her curiously as she spoke. She'd fallen into using Thor's formal speech with ease, as if she'd never stopped speaking it. Bruce wondered if she missed her old life. "The Tesseract." Britta said suddenly, sitting up straight.

"What about it?" Clint asked, his eyes narrowed slightly. He didn't like that stupid cube. In fact, he wanted it destroyed.

"Well it's an energy source and it's capable of opening a portal. So maybe if we used our own device we could open up a small portal and transport Loki to Asgard." Britta said, her eyes shining brightly as she thought of the idea. "It would have to transport the Tesseract too though. That cube should never have been flung to earth and it should not stay here to be used. I want it back on Asgard. It belongs there." Britta said firmly, as if she was trying to convince the others. Which she was. Britta looked over at the two assassins, begging them with her eyes alone not to protest.

"I hate that thing. Do whatever you want with it, just don't keep it here." Clint said, glaring slightly as he thought about the Tesseract.

Britta smiled sadly at him for a second before looking over at Natasha. "After today I don't want to see or hear anything about that cube ever again. Take it." She said seriously.

"Your leader, Fury, will he not be mad?" Thor asked, sounding somewhat concerned but mostly cautious. If Fury got mad and insisted the cube stayed it might spark an argument, or worse, another fight.

"He said he didn't really like the Phase Two plan that much." Britta said, remembering the S.H.I.E.L.D Director's words. "He wouldn't mind it too much, I don't think." She said despite knowing nothing of the Director's thoughts. He was a good man though, mostly, and she was sure he would be taught to see reason if he did get mad.

"We'd need a container of sorts to hold the Tesseract in if we're really going to use it." Tony said, looking thoughtful.

Britta smiled a bit ruefully. "I think I can make one. I know that thing better than anyone else, I know how It works." She admitted reluctantly. Bruce patted her hand sympathetically and Tony squeezed her shoulder comfortingly. She smiled at both of them though her smile seemed a bit sad. "I don't have enough energy right now but give me a couple of days and I'll have just enough to manage it." Britta said sheepishly, not wanting to admit just how drained she was.

Tony shrugged and leaned back in his chair. "Hey, don't sweat it Alien. We're all pretty drained ourselves so we understand. Right guys?" Tony said, looking at everyone else who expressed their agreement in one way or another.

"Till you recover though we should find somewhere for all of us to crash." Clint said, yawning towards the end. "I'll bet you my bow Fury wants us all together so we can respond quickly just in case something else happens." He said.

"We could stay at my apartment." Britta suggested though she regretted it the second she said it. Having all of them in her apartment seemed more terrifying than the battle she'd just went through.

Before anyone could reply the air was punctured by a small beeping sound. Natasha pulled a phone out of hidden pocket and opened it. "Director Fury." She said in greeting. For a minute everyone was silent as Fury talked on the other end. "Understood sir." Natasha said before hanging up the phone. She tucked it away before turning her attention back to everyone who was watching her anxiously. "Fury wants all of us to meet him outside of Britta's apartment in twenty minutes. From there we'll be boarding a jet where Fury'll question us. I don't know what will happen after that." Natasha told them.

Britta shifted nervously in her seat, her eyes focused on sweet sleeping Nanna and ill tempered napping Grid. "Guys, I need to ask a favor of you." She said, her cheeks flushed red with shame. She couldn't believe she was going to ask them for this. They'd just gone through so much, asking for things seemed selfish. "I need you to help me protect Nanna and Grid from S.H.I.E.L.D." Britta said, her eyes fixed on her hands.

"Britta you cannot ask me to protect that monster." Thor said immediately, gesturing to Grid.

"Thor, need I remind you she was born from my mind?" Britta asked calmly, looking up at her old friend. Her eyes were darkened a bit but mostly they were shiny, like she was trying not to cry. "Calling her a monster is calling me a monster." Britta said. She kept her voice steady till she said 'me' then it shook. Bruce grabbed her hand and held it tightly, knowing exactly what it was like to view yourself as a monster and to hate it more than anything.

Thor looked ashamed then but he hid it well. "I do not trust her Britta." He told her.

"I'm not telling you to trust her!" Britta snapped suddenly, making nearly everyone jump. Her eyes were blazing now and there was a light layer of Tesseract energy burning around her eyes like blue fire. Britta glared at Thor until she noticed the look of absolute horror on his face. Quickly she closed her eyes, tears escaping her eyes as she did. She wiped them away very quickly. "I'm asking you to help me. Please Thor, just don't let anyone kill her but me." Britta said softly, almost too quietly for any of them to hear.

Thor watched her for a second, trying to hide the horror on his face. He had not seen her like that since the final years of her insanity, when she'd have random fits of rage and anger so quickly it was frightening. She had gotten over the insanity though. She should not be reacting the way she was. "I will do as you ask sister." Thor finally told her, his voice solemn.

Britta looked up at him and gave him a thankful look. She didn't even notice how tightly she was squeezing Bruce's hand. "What of the rest of you? Will you do me this favor? Not trust Grid but protect her from harm? And Nanna too?" She asked them, not meeting their eyes.

"Anything for you Alien." Tony said immediately, keeping his tone casual yet gentle.

"I'll do what I can." Bruce said, squeezing Britta's hand again. He was getting used to the feeling of her hand in his and the warmth that her touch brought him. He knew he shouldn't but right now he didn't care. Right now he was recovering from a battle, eating Shawarma, and comforting the girl with a monster inside her.

"Captain?" Britta asked nervously after giving the two geniuses smiles. Steve was the one she was most worried about. She knew he liked Nanna to some degree but he still couldn't wrap his head around her and he absolutely hated Grid. He had the right to say he wouldn't but Britta wanted him to. She wanted someone to be there to look after Nanna specifically. That's what Steve would do too. Thor would have his eye glued to Grid and the geniuses would be focusing on Britta so Steve would focus on Nanna, the one he actually could stand out of the three otherworldly girls.

Steve stared at Britta, wondering what he should say. She shouldn't be asking them to protect the twisted demonic girl sleeping at the table near them but she was in the right for asking them to protect Nanna. Steve bit on his inner cheek, thinking briefly that Britta was somewhere right in between good and bad. Except for that little outburst a moment ago. What was going on? She had never reacted like that, like Grid. Steve looked down at Nanna who was now hugging his arm like it was a gigantic comfy pillow. She was an innocent civilian in all retrospect. After all, she'd done nothing to harm anyone and had even fought a bit during the battle. She deserved protection.

"I'll protect Nanna but if Grid threatens the safety of anyone I will not hesitate to stop her." Steve said, staring Britta dead in the eye.

"I didn't expect anything less." Britta admitted. She gave him a small smile before turning to the assassins. Why were they the ones she was most worried about? Oh yeah because despite being pure human they were the most unpredictable and dangerous people there. "And you two?" She asked.

"If she does anything we'll do whatever is necessary to stop her." Clint said, shrugging a bit. Natasha gave him a look for talking about it so casually but that was Clint's style. A little laid back, a little uncaring. "But other than that I think we can swing it. Barbie over there seems nice enough and really so long as we keep Evil Barbie from getting angry we should be fine." He said.

Britta snickered a little. "Evil Barbie?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at the archer.

Clint smirked and gestured to Grid. "Well doesn't she look it?" He asked. Britta chuckled and nodded, looking over at Grid.

A few seconds later Bruce let out a cry of pain, pulling his hand quickly out of Britta's. He looked at her in surprise, cradling his hand to his chest in mild pain but mostly shock. There were tears rolling down Britta's cheeks and she looked ready to scream. When she turned to look at him, when she saw him holding his hand away from her, she let out a gasp that shook with a held back sob. She started breathing too quickly, going into a panic attack. She'd hurt him. She'd hurt Bruce. She hadn't meant to. Oh gods of course she hadn't meant to but it had happened. Oh gods. Oh gods. Britta pushed her chair back so violently that it screeched loudly against the ground, making everyone cringe. Before anyone could stop her she ran out of the restaurant, taking off down the road at top speed.

As she passed by Loki, Britta heard one awful heart breaking thought. _"Her insanity's back."_


	30. Back in Queens

Britta only stopped running when her whole body was screaming in pain and she couldn't breath. She collapsed, right in the middle of a street, and curled into a tight ball. She'd hurt Bruce. She'd hurt him. And she hadn't meant to either. When she looked over at Grid the dark haired girl was suddenly not asleep. Instead she was standing over Bruce who was lying on her table, bleeding and looking straight at Britta as if he was silently pleading for her to save him. Britta had squeezed Bruce's hand to remind her that he was beside her, not dead or dying, and apparently she'd squeezed too hard.

"Oh gods please no. Don't make me go through this again." Britta begged the heavens, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I can't go through that again. I can't go insane again. I'll hurt someone. I've already hurt someone." Britta very nearly sobbed out.

"Miss? Miss are you okay?" A worried voice asked. Britta looked up to see a young girl, no more than fifteen or so, staring down at Britta. "You aren't dying are you? I mean you look hurt but most everyone whose made their way over from around Stark Tower looks hurt." The girl said. Britta didn't reply, too busy trying to stop herself from sobbing. "Hey, you were on the news! There was footage of you fighting!" The girl said suddenly, her voice filled with awe. "Did the fighting traumatize you or something? Is that why you're in the road?" The girl asked.

Britta slowly pulled herself up into a sitting position, wiping at her eyes. "I'm fine. I just lost something in the battle is all." Britta told the girl. That wasn't a lie either. She'd lost her sanity, her old best friend, and the voices in her head who would be talking to her at the moment if they were still there. The girl looked down sadly at Britta, sympathy and understanding in her eyes. "Hey, kid, where am I?" Britta asked.

"Queens. We didn't really get damaged, you guys were really good about keeping the battle in one place." The girl told her.

"Mmm, thanks." Britta mumbled, getting to her feet. She started walking towards the direction she knew her apartment was in but the girl stopped her.

"Thank you, for fighting for all of us I mean. It must have been really hard. And I'm sorry you lost something, I wish that hadn't happened but there's always a price in war." The girl said quickly, as if she expected Britta to run off before she could finish.

Britta felt her cheeks heat up with shame. This girl thought she was a hero and was even sorry for her without knowing any details. The poor thing didn't know the type of person...the type of monster she was. "Thank you but it was really no big deal. I was just doing what was right." Britta said before continuing to walk away. "Thanks." She said over her shoulder, remembering the rest of the girl's words. "Stay safe." Britta added without thinking. It was what she'd said to everyone after she'd recovered enough form her insanity to understand how horrible and spontaneous her anger was. She'd told everyone that every time they left her, reminding them to not get hurt until next time she saw them. Next time she _actually _ saw them. Sometimes they'd visit and she wouldn't remember it because she'd been in one of her fits. Britta felt a tear roll down her cheek when she thought about how she was going back to her old ways. Her old horrible ways.

Her apartment was actually just a block from where she'd collapsed. That was extremely lucky because Britta didn't have enough energy to go further than that. Once she was in her apartment she practically crawled to her room and into her bed. Everything smelled like comfort and it made Britta want to never leave again. She buried her nose in her pillow and pulled her blankets all the way up over her head. She made her armor disappear and soon she was lying in the nightgown she'd been wearing the night Phil came to get her.

"Night Grid. Night Nan." Britta mumbled sleepily, forgetting for a moment that her girls wouldn't reply. She fell asleep a moment later, slipping instantly into nightmares.


End file.
